Celebrations
by Don't Preach
Summary: Hiyori's birthday is coming up. How will Trifecta commemorate the occasion? Regardless, Yokozawa will learn in the process that celebration has all kinds of incarnations. Rated "M" for certain non-birthday related celebratory moments...
1. Homecoming

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sekai ichi Hatsukoi or any of its characters but I love them.**

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><p><strong>Celebrations<strong>

**Chapter One: Homecoming**

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><p>Yokozawa opened the door to the Kirishimas' apartment. It had been a hellacious day at work.<p>

_Fucking Takano, challenging me at every turn on the numbers for printing at our weekly meeting. Who does that ass think has to peddle all the extra issues if the stores don't sell the way he anticipates? He's so damn cocky._

He was about to call out and see if Hiyori was home when he looked down and noticed her small white tennies with the kitten lace ornaments neatly lined up against the hall entry wall. Immediately the storm cloud Yokozawa had been functioning under for the last three hours broke and he felt his heart smile even if his mouth didn't.

It wasn't as though Hiyori needed supervision. She had managed on her own long before he'd arrived on the scene. Still, he fretted about her being home alone. He always felt the little extra burden in his heart he picked up on his way out the door each morning, set back down the moment he returned to find her safe.

Once he'd asked Kirishima how he managed not to go crazy with worry. Kirishima's laughing reply was that he had, at least until he came along. Now that Yokozawa was doing enough worrying for the both of them, Kirishima just hadn't felt the need to keep his up.

Frowning at this recollection, Yokozawa shifted his attention back to the present. Seeing that Hiyori was home, he wondered why she hadn't been there to greet him.

_She knew I was coming._

He had texted her on the way there, asking if he needed to pick anything up from the store. Setting down his work satchel and the small bag of groceries he'd acquired on the way home, Yokozawa noticed another pair shoes lined up next to Hiyori's. He quickly identified them as belonging to her best friend, Yuki.

_Ah, that explains it._

The two were no doubt holed up in Hiyori's room deeply engaged in the mysterious rites of girlhood.

Both girls were by themselves quite a bit, since Yuki's parents worked as well. So, living in the same building, they alternated between each other's apartments regularly. Although since Yokozawa had started returning home earlier than the other adults when he could, Hiyori and Yuki had started spending more time at the Kirishima's.

Yokozawa took off his shoes.

He supposed it was good his being able to be at home earlier also allowed Kirishima to focus more clearly on his job. He'd heard positive things lately about Injuuin's editor's increased productivity through the overactive Marukawa grapevine. He had even overheard it speculated that perhaps Kirishima had gotten married again, though he no longer wore a ring.

But Kirishima was not the only one seeing benefits from their recent "arrangement." Despite his new self-imposed schedule, Yokozawa's job performance had improved as well.

While he had always been efficient and often was ahead of the game in terms of his work, even though he wasn't staying as late as he used to he was getting more done. Yokozawa had realized just lately, that before he started spending so much time with the Kirishimas, he would draw things out at work. His workaholic tendencies due in part because he was avoiding his empty apartment. Often times, in fact, it was only his guilt about Sorata that had ever even brought him home.

Now, he was working even harder and taking fewer breaks, so that he could get home to Hiyori. Plus, though he'd never admit it, he liked cooking with her and having a meal prepared when Kirishima returned from work.

It also didn't hurt that he drank so much less these days. In fact, Yokozawa couldn't remember the last time he'd woken up with a hangover and still had to haul his ass in to Marukawa. This new morning clarity seemed to be helping his productivity as well, though previously he'd never really considered it a problem. His relative alcoholic abstinence was also helping his bank account, as was the fact he was now living with the Kirishima's full time.

Zen had finally convinced him to move in with them to save him all the time he'd been spending commuting, surprisingly agreeing when he insisted on having his own room for propriety in front of Hiyori. So, with this new arrangement he'd reluctantly allowed the lease on his own apartment to run out.

Not having his own space hadn't bothered Yokozawa nearly as much as he thought it might. He wondered if this was a defect in his masculine character as he hung up his coat.

This was something he was somewhat sensitive about, not that'd he'd ever reveal this. It didn't help his anxieties that now his old place was gone, Kirishima absolutely refused to accept any money from him for the room he was occupying.

The last time he'd complained about this, they had been arguing about this while sharing an elevator ride at work. Kirishima had pointed to the key case he was holding, the one they had exchanged for his birthday.

_"I proposed to you remember?" Kirishima indicated the apartment key. "How would it look then for me to take your money. Besides," His eyes had twinkled, "you know I like to keep you in my debt a bit, Yokozawa. Just in case you ever got some crazy idea about changing your mind."_

Yokozawa's brow furrowed at the memory.

"Over-confident ass," he muttered under his breath as he picked up his work bag and the groceries and moved into the front room. Despite Zen's refusal for rent, Yokozawa did what he could to compensate anyways: buying little things for around the house and purchasing all the groceries. He needed to, not to feel like a kept man

_Or a wife._

No sooner had he stepped away from this thought and into the entry, there was a flurry of delicate feet and high-pitched giggles as the two girls rushed out of Hiyori's bedroom to meet him.

"Onii-chan," Hiyori was breathless, her eyes shone with pleasure. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here to greet you. You're home earlier than I thought you'd be and I didn't hear you come in."

Yokozawa relinquished the grocery bag into Hiyori's outstretched hands.

"Yuki-chan." Yokozawa returned Hiyori's wide-eyed cohort's bowed greeting with a dip of his chin. Yuki always acted slightly awed around him. As usual she'd remained standing slightly off to the side, but this didn't offend Yokozawa, he was used to people keeping a safe distance from him.

"Oh, Onii-chan, you got those macaroons I like again!" Hiyori squeaked appreciatively peeking into the bag. "May Yuki and I have one, please?"

"Mmmm, is your homework done?"

"Yes! Well, all but my English and I wondered if you would help with that after dinner?"

Yokozawa nodded at this. "You and Yuki have been behaving yourselves then?"

"Yes, Onii-chan." Hiyori sounded just slightly exasperated by the question. She rolled her eyes and Yokozawa wondered at this thing he perceived as a womanly gesture.

He walked over to Sorata who had risen to welcome him home from the place where he'd been comfortably curled at the end of the sofa. "Is that true, Sorata? Have Hiyo-chan and Yuki-chan been conducting themselves responsibly?"

The black and white cat pushed up into his outstretched hand purring. Yokozawa turned to Hiyori and Yuki.

"Well, since Sorata tells me you have been behaving, I suppose you can have one. But no more; I don't want you to spoil your dinner."

Hiyori tittered at her Onii-chan questioning the cat: it wasn't often that Yokozawa behaved so whimsically.

"Thank you, Onii-chan!" She and Yuki both dashed into the kitchen to put the shopping away, all the while chattering delightedly about the unexpected treat.

At his appearance in the kitchen doorway a moment later, both girls looked at Yokozawa pink-cheeked for abandoning him so eagerly. Their embarrassment was cute, but Yokozawa kept his face carefully unaffected.

"I'll come in and put the things away that go on the high shelves in a minute," he offered before heading down the hall to his room to change out of his work clothes.

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><p>An hour later found Yokozawa and Hiyori in the kitchen cooking dinner.<p>

Yuki's mother had stopped by a half hour earlier and picked up her daughter. It was still a bit uncomfortable for Yokozawa, the keen-eyed, wondering way the woman looked at him sometimes, but he was finally growing used to it.

He reached into the pocket of the green and white striped apron he wore, the least feminine one that he could find, and pulled out his phone. Kirishima kept bringing home new aprons, each one more frilly than the last just to tease him. Yokozawa scowled at the thought as he looked at the time.

"Hiyori, your father should be home any minute, why don't you wash your hands and go out so you can greet him when he gets here?"

"Okay, Onii-chan."

Just then his phone vibrated, Yokozawa flipped it open to read the text.

_Will be late. Don't hold dinner. Kisses, Zen._

A warm heat filled Yokozawa's cheeks, following the quiet pang of disappointment at the change in schedule. He frowned and immediately deleted the text. The last thing he ever wanted someone to see was a message from another man sending him kisses.

"Change in plans. Your father just messaged he's going to be late," Yokozawa said over the sink's running water.

"That's okay, Onii-chan." Hiyori smiled as he handed her a towel for her hands. "I don't mind if it's just the two of us having dinner."

The truth of it was, Hiyori liked the times it was just the two of them. Despite the fact she was incredibly close to her papa, she was able to talk to her Onii-chan sometimes with an openness she couldn't risk with her father.

"Oooooh, I like this song!" Hiyori all but squealed, causing Yokozawa to start. She dashed over to the radio that had been playing low in the background and turned up the volume. A poppy dance tune filled the warm kitchen.

"Do you know how to dance, Onii-chan?" she asked, turning away from the radio.

Yokozawa grunted noncommittally. It had been ages since he'd danced, the last time being probably in early high school.

"Will you teach me then?"

"Wha…?" Yokozawa turned away from the vegetables he been sautéing and looked at Hiyori with an expression of disbelief. He grimaced, however, seeing how eager her eyes were.

"Why would you need to know? You're too young for dancing anyway."

"I'll be eleven next week though."

"Really?" Yokozawa pulled out a new frown at this information. This was the first time heard anything about it. He wondered why Kirishima hadn't mentioned anything to him about his daughter's birthday.

"Please, Onii-chan? Just spin me once?" Hiyori's eyes were bright with hope.

He could hardly tell her "no" when her expression was so earnest. Yokozawa couldn't help wondering how many hearts she was going to break in a few years.

"Fine," he grumbled, "but just one spin." He stepped towards her, wiping his hands on his apron.

"Here, give me your hands."

Yokozawa marveled as always at how delicate Hiyori was. He could fit her two hands easily inside one of his big paws. He showed her a few simple steps and then spun her. Hiyori approached the steps with the utmost seriousness but the spin made her giggle with delight.

Her laughter was such wonderful sound, that of course one spin turned into half a dozen. There probably would have been more too, but Yokozawa stopped abruptly and stiffened, when he suddenly heard a rich chuckle emanating from behind him. He turned to see Kirishima lounging in the kitchen doorway.

"Papa, you're home!" Hiyori cried, quickly waltzing over to meet him.

Kirishima smiled back warmly and extend a lean arm. He took Hiyori's hand and gave his daughter a twirl of his own.

"Papa, Onii-chan was teaching me how to dance!" She exclaimed breathlessly.

"So I saw," Kirishima shot his lover a sly grin as he moved over to the refrigerator to get a beer.

"You said you were going to be late," Yokozawa grumbled.

"Ah, well, that was a bit of a fib. I wanted to surprise you. But not nearly so much it seems as you surprised me, Takafumi," Kirishima's eyes glittered mischievously. "I always knew you were light on your feet," he teased.

Yokozawa turned back to the stove. It wasn't nearly as hot as his face at the moment.

"Go sit at the table; Hiyori set it earlier; dinner's ready," he growled.

After watching Hiyori carry the first dish out to the table, Kirishima took the opportunity, the minute she was out of sight, to place a light kiss on his lover's lightly flushed cheek. "Whatever you say, _twinkle toes_."

Then Kirishima laughed, and quickly danced his way out of the kitchen before Yokozawa had the chance to retaliate.

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><p><strong>As always your reviews are ever appreciated!<strong>


	2. Invitations

**Celebrations**

**Chapter Two: Invitations**

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><p>When Yokozawa emerged from the kitchen, sans-apron and carrying the last dish, he noted that although his beer was there, Kirishima's spot at the head of the table was vacant.<p>

_Probably went to get cleaned up._

Setting the vegetables down, he took his place across from a smiling Hiyori.

When he had first started taking meals with the Kirishimas, he'd sat at the opposite end of the table. However, Kirishima had complained and teased relentlessly about how far away he was despite the table's relatively small size. Eventually, for the sake of peace, he had grudgingly relocated to sit next to his lover. Even after months of sitting there now, Kirishima still periodically murmured how nice it was to have those he cared about so close at hand.

_Sentimental fool._

Even as he thought this however, Yokozawa was annoyed to find that his heart held sentiments quite to the contrary.

A few minutes later Kirishima returned in a casual shirt and a pair of sweats. Yokozawa's brow dipped at this, his own attire, even at home tending to be more crisp.

"How are my two lovelies this evening?" Kirishima beamed at his table mates. Then he eyed the delicious looking meal laid out on the table appreciatively.

"I am not lovely; I am a man," Yokozawa growled softly, before they uttered their usual quick blessing.

"You are a lovely man then, Yokozawa," Kirishima's eyes glowed with warmth and good-humor.

Yokozawa snorted at this in disgust and Hiyori giggled.

At least she started to giggle, until Yokozawa fixed her with what he felt was a rather harsh look. Then she immediately stopped, hiding her mouth behind her hand. Even so, her eyes sparkled not too unlike her father's.

Yokozawa sighed: he was outnumbered.

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><p>The rest of the dinner went well enough. A good part of it was spent in comfortable silence, broken by Kirishima's questions about Hiyori's day and her loquacious answers. Most of Hiyori's news, Yokozawa had already heard when they were cooking, but still he enjoyed listening to the gentle father-daughter banter.<p>

Just as they were finishing up, Kirishima reached into his sweat's pocket and took out an envelope.

"This came for you, Hiyo." He held it out.

Yokozawa noted a peculiar expression on Kirishima's face. Hiyori took the envelope and for a moment her face too became serious.

"May I open it now, Papa?"

"Ummm," Kirishima nodded. He watched Hiyori carefully unsealed it and take out a beautiful card.

Aware that there was something personal going on between Kirishima and his daughter, Yokozawa dropped his eyes and pretended to be distracted by Sorata. Sorata had smelled the fish his gray-eyed master had prepared for dinner and was winding himself forlornly around the leg of the table, hoping for a scrap.

"You're too fat as it is, Sora-chan."

Sorata stared at Yokozawa unblinkingly, knowing the false-growl in the chide too well, and that a tidbit was sure to follow. The cat stepped up, happy to be proven right, as his owner offered him the last sliver of fish from his bowl. Sorata's tail adopted a particular crook of appreciation.

Looking up from his fuzzy beggar, Yokozawa noticed the moment between the table's other occupants had passed.

"See my pretty card, Onii-chan?" Hiyori smiled, got up, and came around the table to stand next to him. She showed him an ornate hand-cut, paper stencil of some kittens playing with a ball of yarn.

"Fancy," Yokozawa offered, though personally he felt such niceties of design were lost on his blunt sensibilities.

"It's from Hiyo's mama's parents," Kirishima supplied as Hiyori handed her father the check her grandparents had included. "Hiyo's birthday is next week. They send her a special card for her birthday every year."

"Hiyori mentioned her birthday was coming up to me earlier this evening." Yokozawa's voice was laced with a slight edge of accusation.

If Kirishima heard this he didn't acknowledge it. "Most of this is going into your savings like usual, Hiyo, but you can get something special with part of it. What do you think you might want to get this year?"

After a moment of serious contemplation Hiyori looked at her father. "May I get an outfit, Papa? The school festival is coming up and it would be nice to have something new to wear."

Kirishima shrugged his assent. "Do you want me to ask Yuki's mother to go with you again this year and help pick it out?"

"No… I want Onii-chan to take me this time," Hiyori said softly.

Yokozawa had been studying the design on the card as he finished the last bit of his tea. He was wondering how someone ever had the patience to be so intricate when he heard Hiyori's question.

"What?" He choked on his tea. "Why in the hel... I mean, why in the world, would you want me to help you with something like that?"

"Please, Onii-chan?" Hiyori pleaded. "It's my birthday after all. We can go to the mall together. It'll be fun!"

"Fun?" Yokozawa asked, still sputtering.

"I think that's a splendid idea, Taka-chan." Kirishima smiled brilliantly.

Yokozawa shot his lover a furious glare at both the playful alteration of his name and his enthusiasm for Hiyori's proposal. "If you think it's so splendid, I imagine that means you'll be coming with us?"

"Oh… no… I wouldn't dream of it." Kirishima laughed. "I think it'll be a great bonding experience for you and I wouldn't think of intruding. Plus I'd like Hiyori's new outfit to be a surprise and if I went, then it wouldn't be, would it?"

After one more scowl at Kirishima, Yokozawa looked at the little girl standing next to him, her big eyes expectant and hopeful. How could he refuse?

"When do you want to go then?"

Hiyori bounced slightly on her heels with excitement. "Can we go tomorrow, Onii-chan?"

Yokozawa almost felt his trepidation leave him seeing how excited his agreement made Hiyori. "I have to go into work in the morning, but if things aren't too busy, I suppose we could go in the afternoon."

Pleased with how her Onii-chan's tone had gentled andHiyori scrunched her nose in pleasure at this possibility.

"You clear the table and get your homework out while your father and I wash the dishes," Yokozawa ordered, wanting to bring an end to the conversation before he got roped into anything else.

"Hooray!" Hiyori began to gather up the bowls from the table.

Yokozawa watched her head into the kitchen, Sorata close on her heels. "And no scraps for Sorata," he admonished.

Sorata paused in his step, turned, and glared at him with slightly flattened ears. Seeing this, Kirishima burst out laughing.

"I read somewhere that pets and their owners eventually begin to look like each other, but this is the first time I've seen it!"

"Oh, hush!" Yokozawa grumbled as he stood up and gathered the last of the things from the table following Sorata into the kitchen in the same tail-fluffed manner.

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><p>Later Yokozawa and Kirishima were in the kitchen doing the dishes.<p>

More accurately, Yokozawa was doing the dishes while Kirishima leaned up against the counter watching him work. Kirishima did this, despite Yokozawa's numerous assertions he was not the "wife" and his demands that if he didn't cook he at least assist with the cleanup.

Hiyori was in the other room getting her schoolwork spread out on the table.

Seeing the lightening starting to crackle in the gray clouds of his lover's gaze, Kirishima finally picked up a dishtowel and clumsily began drying one of the newly washed dishes.

Yokozawa looked over and his brow ticked slightly, wondering how long it would be before the man dropped it.

Glancing up from the bowl he was holding, Kirishima cocked his head to the side, waiting to be corrected on his faulty drying technique.

"Do you really think it's a good idea for me to take Hiyori shopping?" Yokozawa had a slight undertone of nervousness in his voice.

Realizing that this was the cause of his lover's distress and not his lack of assistance, Kirishima set the towel and the dish back down.

"Yes, I think it's great. And it obviously means a lot to Hiyo," Kirishima offered in a rare moment of seriousness.

"What if someone asks what I'm doing with her?" Yokozawa muttered. He shot a sharp look at his lover. "Remember that day you asked me to pick her up from school and forgot to call and tell them I was coming to get her?"

Kirishima's lips quirked up at the memory and he chuckled. "You need to relax Takafumi, you just look too suspicious when you try not to."

"Easy for you to think it's funny! You're not the one who almost got arrested!"

Seeing his lover's discomfort, Kirishima stepped over and set a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Just tell them you're her stepfather. For all intents and purposes, you are and I'm sure Hiyori wouldn't mind. She'll vouch for you."

The way Kirishima said these words and the way they indicated his inclusion in his small family touched Yokozawa's heart.

"Why don't you go help Hiyori with her English; I'll finish these," he mumbled uncomfortably.

"You sure?" Kirishima looked slightly surprised.

"Well you sure as hell aren't helping here and you're better at English than I am anyways!"

Kirishima grinned and his hand slid down from Yokozawa's shoulder to the small of his back. "Ah but you're more patient than I am, Yokozawa."

Yokozawa stared intently back, his face un-amused. He pulled a soapy hand from the sink and used it to push Kirishima's hand off. "Don't I know it!

"Someone is giving me all kinds of practice. Now go get your ass out there and help your daughter."

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><p>Yokozawa looked up briefly from where he was working at the dining room table as Kirishima emerged from the hall after saying a final goodnight to Hiyori. He'd pulled out his work bag and fired up his laptop to finish some reports while Kirishima had sat at the other end of the table helping Hiyori with her English.<p>

"She's out already," Kirishima, said before ducking into the kitchen for another beer. He emerged a moment later with two and passed one over.

"Did you go smoke?" he asked curiously but without accusation, knowing that Yokozawa had been trying to cut down.

"Ummmm, I stepped out onto the balcony for a minute while you were tucking Hiyori-chan in, yes," Yokozawa muttered absently. His eyes had returned to his screen and he was still scanning his columns of numbers.

Then he looked up. "Why didn't you mention Hiyori's birthday sooner?"

Kirishima cracked the top on his beer. "I was going to, but then I kept forgetting. You know outside of publication deadlines, I'm terrible with dates."

Yokozawa looked at his unopened beer and then pushed it aside. "What are you going to do then to celebrate?"

"When she was younger I used to go all out. Have a big party, shower her with presents. I think I was trying to compensate for her mother not being here." Kirishima sighed and studied the beer can he was gently rolling around between his large hands.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to stir painful memories." Yokozawa dropped his eyes to his beer and wondered suddenly if he shouldn't open it after all: an uncomfortable lump had just formed in his throat. He raised his head and saw Kirishima gazing at him.

"No, they were good memories." Kirishima's eyes were tender, "because Hiyori was always so happy. She hardly remembers her mother, so I don't think she understood what she was missing... Not like I did anyways."

"This year instead of a party though, she'd like me to take her and Yuki to an amusement park for the day." Kirishima lifted his beer can for a swig.

"Really?" Yokozawa felt a sense of relief that Kirishima wasn't going to ask him to help arrange anything then. "That sounds relatively easy."

"She'd like you to come too."

Yokozawa frowned at this. He wasn't really an amusement park kind of a guy. His unopened beer now seemed even more appealing. Rather than open it though, he made a bold move and pulled the already opened can gently from between Kirishima's hands. This way he could just take a sip and not drink a whole one: he'd become wise to Kirishima's methods of seduction.

He took a drink, ignoring Kirishima's widening eyes at this indirect kiss. "Okay," He sighed, knowing that he'd be coaxed into eventually anyway.

"Really?" Kirishima retrieved the beer quickly, setting his lips on the exact spot where his had just been.

"Ummm, yes." Yokozawa nodded and turned his eyes back to his screen ignoring his lover's sly look.

Undeterred by this rejection, Kirishima set his beer down. He stood up and slipped around behind Yokozawa. Running a warm hand down inside Yokozawa's open shirt collar, deft fingers skimmed the skin of Yokozawa's chest and brushed the tip of a hardening nipple.

"I'd like you to cum too," He leaned down and whispered in Yokozawa' ear. "Tell me, will you be so agreeable to my request this evening as well."

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><p><strong>Thanks for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites.<strong>

**Fabulous Summer Biscuit- glad you like the humor of it, that's one of the things I like about this couple.**

**T's- hooray for Trifecta *waves flag* Let's get more fics for this couple going!**

**TedEBear 216- It's true that women in yaoi seem to mess everything up, but I like that Hiyori here is the exception. TBH I always loved Yokozawa, but then I have a thing for guys who pretend to be assholes to cover up their broken hearts from unrequited love.**

**Annalisse Rubisher- Please Koi, write the story. Trifecta needs more love. And yes, I love the stories too. **

**Black Flamingo- Thank you for the wonderful words my brilliant uke bird. Here's today's sugar sermon, the next I promise will be much more tart!**

**Lolcari- Love that you're here for another fic and I agree ADORABLE… I hate shopping, but writing Yoko at the mall is one shopping trip I am definitely looking forward to!**

**Fantasydotcom82- You need to put your skills to work and write a Trifecta fic, Fantasy. Yeah there's a condition that offers a reason for my output, it's called OCD.**

**Vanilla Milkshake- So glad to have you on this fic and love to hear the flutter of readers hearts.**


	3. Negotiations

**Warning: Mature content starts here and continues through chapter four. Then the story resumes.**

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><p><strong>Celebrations <strong>

**Chapter Three: Negotiations**

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><p>Though Yokozawa remained silent, beneath his hand, Kirishima could feel his chest hitch at his words. Reading this as a positive sign, he pressed further.<p>

"I want you in my bed tonight, Takafumi."

Yokozawa shifted his neck slightly as Kirishima began to worry the outer edge of his ear with little kissing nibbles. He cleared his throat with low growling noise of protest, but when he spoke his voice was heavy with unarticulated want.

"I told you, not while Hiyori's here, Zen. It's not proper."

Thrilled by the use of his first name and the promise this contained, Kirishima stopped nipping and moved his mouth, pressing a kiss against a pulse point on Yokozawa's neck that made his lover shiver.

He smiled against heating skin.

"You're not suggesting we leave Hiyo-chan alone then and head to our usual spot?" Kirishima nuzzled his nose against the underside of Yokozawa's jaw.

"No, of course not!" Yokozawa snapped in a barking whisper.

Ever since living together, they had rarely been intimate within the confines of the apartment, taking lunch hours and the occasional afternoon or early evening "meeting" in the love hotel district. Though this arrangement was not ideal, it allowed them to come together in the ways that temporarily satisfied their ever-increasing appetites for each other (not that Yokozawa would ever admit to his), without risking being caught by Hiyori.

"Are you afraid she'll wake up? I promise you, my baby girl sleeps like a stone," Kirishima coaxed. "Besides I can be quiet, Takafumi. The question is: _Can you_?"

At the mention of his propensity for noisesome lovemaking, Yokozawa leaned forward and tried to get away from Kirishima's tempting touch.

This was to no avail as Kirishima leaned after, following him.

"Maybe we should move this conversation to somewhere more private…"

"I need you tonight, Takafumi," Kirishima ran the hand not inside Yokozawa's shirt through his lover's shaggy hair. Yokozawa closed his eyes at the electric thrill of this touch: his head had always been extremely sensitive. Kirishima's stroking fingers made another pass, this time grazing the skin behind one of his ears.

Yokozawa exhaled louder than he'd intended. "What are you suggesting?" realizing as he said this, he sounded far more eager than he'd like.

Kirishima's large hand left his head and caught his jaw. He pulled Yokozawa back by this, leaned over a bit more, caught his mouth, and kissed him deeply. He broke the kiss after a long, tongue-filled minute and straightened.

"Have another cigarette and meet me in the bathroom when you're done." Kirishima headed off in an easy amble. He turned at the entrance to the back hall and grinned, his light-brown eyes shining.

"We're going to take a shower together. We can lock the door and Hiyori won't be able to hear anything over the water. That is, as long you don't yell too outrageously."

"I'll make you yell outrageously here in a minute," Yokozawa muttered under his breath at the teasing.

"What?" Kirishima cocked his brow, leaning casually against the wall.

"I said give me five minutes." Yokozawa dropped his eyes and reached for his open pack of cigarettes on the table.

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><p>Yokozawa put his hand on the door to the bath but hesitated before opening it.<p>

He chided himself for the tense knot he felt in his stomach and the flutter in his chest. Still, even after all these months, he found the situation he was in disconcerting.

He had never felt he was "one of those" men. His affections had been limited to Takano for so long he thought that his attraction went beyond the constraints of gender. Considering this, that he had fallen for another man unnerved him.

What was even more disconcerting, however, was how palpable this new man's affection for him was. Sure, Kirishima was bothersome as hell with his teasing, but even with this Yokozawa still had a sense that he was cherished.

He scowled.

_This is a terrible feeling. _

Terrible in the fact that he didn't just like it: it was something he craved. Yokozawa despised this weakness in himself and feared how much more painful it would be when Kirishima finally grew tired of his surly ways and asked him to leave.

"Are you going to stand on the other side of that door all night, Takafumi?" Kirishima's light laughter pealed from inside the bath.

Yokozawa's frown deepened and he pushed the door open. He dropped his eyes seeing Kirishima standing there already naked. He turned and closed the door behind him.

"How in the hell did you know I was out there?" He kept his back turned and began to undress, pulling his shirttails out of his trousers.

Yokozawa felt Kirishima step up behind him and strong arms slip around his waist. He pretended to ignore the hands that were now rapidly unfastening his belt buckle.

"That black cloud you carry with you had begun seeping under the door." Kirishima's hands slid the belt out of its loops.

"Right." Yokozawa grunted as his own hands moved up to undo the buttons on his shirt. His fingers caught for a moment, as Kirishima's hot mouth found his neck. He held his breath as his skin recorded the particular pattern of Kirishima's lips. This was usually Kirishima's approach when he wanted to top.

Yokozawa cleared his throat.

"So you want 'in' tonight." He growled it as a statement and not as a question.

Flexing his shoulders to create a bit of space between them, he shrugged off his shirt. Then he grabbed the edges of the thin tanked-tee he was wearing beneath this and began pulling it over his head.

He'd just managed to get his head free when he felt Kirishima grab him by his belt loops and turn him around.

As Yokozawa brought his arms down, Kirishima ducked under them so that his straightened elbows rested on his shoulders, his forearms still sleeved in the body of his tee-shirt.

Kirishima had not dropped his belt. He looped it around Yokozawa's strong neck and gathered the two ends together in one hand. Using this, he pulled Yokozawa into another deep kiss that ended with a nip on his lover's bottom lip.

Yokozawa tried to pull back but the crisp leather of the belt bit into the back of his neck. The feel of this made his stiffening dick quicken.

Their faces just inches apart now. Kirishima's brilliant brown eyes gleamed; he smiled broadly.

"Yes, I'd like 'in.' _If _you don't mind obliging me." As he said this, the hand not holding the belt slipped down and undid Yokozawa's trousers.

Yokozawa's gray gaze held Kirishima's, even as a warm hand pushed beneath the fabric of his boxers. Kirishima bypassed Yokozawa's blood-thick cock to slip down further and give his aroused sac a squeeze.

Closing his eyes, Yokozawa's head dropped forward slightly resting against Kirishima's. He bit his lip to keep from groaning as his lover continued to knead him.

"What do you say, Takafumi?" Kirishima breathed. "I propose an exchange. I promise to make it well worth your while."

A light moan escaped Yokozawa's lips as Kirishima's hand moved up, grabbed his cock, and began stroking it. Yokozawa's eyes opened and he and Kirishima regarded each other in sensual challenge.

"Fine," He finally growled his acquiescence. "But you better not fucking come inside me."

Kirishima chuckled at this. He released both Yokozawa's belt and his cock, ducked out from under his arms, stepped over to the shower and turned it on. As the sounds and steam of the spray filled the room he turned to Yokozawa grinning.

"When have I ever done that?" He laughed as he stepped into the shower.

Yokozawa finished pulling out of his shirt, stepped out of his pants and his boxers, and bent down to take off his socks.

"Only like every single time, you ass!"

_Speaking of which…_

Despite his best intentions not to,Yokozawa looked up and cast a surreptitious eye at Kirishima's fine backside only to find himself caught in the act as Kirishima glanced back over his shoulder. He felt a light blush rise to his cheeks and told himself it was due to the steam. Yokozawa felt his cheeks suddenly grow hotter, however, when Kirishima winked at him.

"My ass indeed... but yours first." Seeing the mounting fluster in his partner, Kirishima smiled anew.

"Hurry up, Takafumi, I promise I'll try and be good this time."

"Yeah, right." Yokozawa muttered as he stood up and followed, stepping into the shower behind him.

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><p><strong>New AN: More citrus to come… Heh! I never get tired of that joke…<strong>

**Alcuzey, thank you for the review, my dear! And the head's up about the release of Yokozawa Takafumi No Baii 4 too. I just read it and it was great! And a full length Yokozawa movie? Okay, I almost lost my composure there for a moment. Here's another chapter as a reward for all the great news!**


	4. Showers

**Warning: Continued Citrus**

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><p><strong>Celebrations <strong>

**Chapter Four: Showers**

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><p>Yokozawa no sooner stepped into the shower than he felt large, strong hands on his shoulders. He hadn't even had a chance to get used to the kiss of the hot spray on his skin, before Kirishima backed him up against the tiled wall and began showering him with his own.<p>

Kirishima's hands slipped off Yokozawa's shoulders, down his lean arms, and entwined their fingers. Once he'd captured Yokozawa's hands, he lifted them and pressed them up on either side of his lover's dark head.

Yokozawa felt the slippery tiles of the shower walls against the backs of his hands. His shoulders and ass collided with the wall soon after as Kirishima leaned into him. He was about to complain about being manhandled (not that he truly minded it), but before he could even utter a good growl, the mouth that had been grazing along his collarbones, slipped up and enveloped his lips, cutting off any protests.

A muscular thigh slipped between his legs and pressed against his rising sac. Yokozawa felt a stiff cock brush hot against his hip and grunted as Kirishima's thigh pressed higher. Against Kirishima's petitioning mouth, he "grrred".

This made Kirishima smile in the midst of their kiss. Yokozawa could feel this shift in expression though his eyes were closed. He blinked slowly open and found Kirishima gazing intently back, a dozen different flames of pleasure burning brightly in brown eyes.

Kirishima pulled back from his grinned kiss. His smile stole Yokozawa's breath.

Cautiously Kirishima released Yokozawa's hands, though they hovered above them a moment in case he lashed out. Brow twitching at this challenge, after a moment of intense internal debate, Yokozawa did move them; but rather than reach out and push Kirishima away, he slid them slowly up the wall further and tucked them behind his shaggy wet head.

Seeing this, Kirishima's grin widened.

"Such a good boy, Taka-chan."

Leaning back in, Kirishima gave a gentle kiss in reward, one far more tender than his previous attentions. His hands moved to cup each side of Yokozawa's jaw. When he pulled back from their oral embrace, he brushed a thumb over his lover's kiss bruised bottom lip.

"Do you know what you do to me, Takafumi?"

Yokozawa said nothing, but his twitching brow and cock spoke eloquently for him: Kirishima was not the only one stirred.

Kirishima felt his lover's member start. He dropped one hand to stroke Yokozawa's rigid dick again as he lowered his head down and began placing a number of gentle biting kisses on his neck.

Gray eyes closed at the thrill of the mouth on his sensitive skin. Yokozawa tightened the grip of his hands in his hair as he tipped his jaw up and refrained from reaching out. Behind closed lids, his other senses were heightened by this self-imposed blindness. He sucked in his breath as Kirishima stopped stroking his cock and rubbed a thumb over its head.

"Fuck." Yokozawa groaned at the brush against the tender flesh. He could feel the vibrations of Kirishima's chuckle against his skin every place they were touching and it set his balls buzzing. He could feel the tickling sensation rising into his cock.

It had only been two days, since they'd last been together and he was shocked at how pent up he was.

When he'd been with Takano, it had sometimes been months in between coupling and then, the last few years there had been almost nothing. His body it seemed, was desperate to catch up on all the passion he'd postponed for so long.

Kirishima's wet hair tickled his chest as he dipped his mouth down. Yokozawa hissed as one of his nipples was caught in a sucking kiss that then turned into a nipping tug. Kirishima moved his head back a bit and Yokozawa felt himself flush as his back arched automatically pushing his chest forward, aching for the lips on him to linger.

Seeing this, Kirishima moved back in to swirl the perked flesh of his nipple with his tongue. His hand resumed pumping Yokozawa's cock.

"You have no idea how fucking much you turn me on when you allow yourself to be lewd, Takafumi," Kirishima murmured as his tongue licked across his lover's slick chest to offer its lingual adoration to the other dark disc.

"Do you truly have no sense of how hot you are? How brutally handsome?"

Of course Kirishima was garrulous normally, but Yokozawa had been far more accustomed to silence during the act. He was still getting used to how verbal his lover was when they were sexual, as well as the praises he so easily uttered.

He grunted at Kirishima's words, but somewhere in the middle of the noise it turned into a pleasured groan as Kirishima's teeth began to lightly worry him while the hand not holding his cock moved lower, between his legs, and began to massage his sac with gentle pulling motions.

"I'm lewd? How many guys were you with to get so damn good at this?"

Kirishima pulled his mouth away. "What? You mean jacking off?" He was amused by the underlying jealousy in Yokozawa's tone.

"Mmmmmm," Yokozawa nodded, but he didn't trust his voice to answer: Kirishima's manipulations were so exquisite.

As Kirishima slid back up, their slick chests grazed against each other. His hands stilled as he leaned in and whispered in Yokozawa's ear.

"Ah, Takafumi, in all honesty, it was mostly 'self-study.' Before you, because of Hiyo, my partners were few and far between and more often female than male."

Yokozawa frowned at this. He suddenly felt bad for bringing up Kirishima's past at such a moment, as well as being annoyed by the fact that, at his question, Kirishima had ceased in his motions. He opened his eyes and turned to look at Kirishima and was greeted by a warm gaze.

Obviously the man had not taken any offense at his words. In fact, instead, he smiled mischievously.

"There is something, however, that I would like to perfect and think I am going to need a lot more practice at."

Yokozawa's dipped brow rose at this. "Oh?"

"Ummmm," Kirishima nodded his eyes glinting. Yokozawa's own eyes widened as suddenly, Kirishima gracefully sank to his knees before him.

"Damn!" Yokozawa gasped before biting down on his bottom lip to keep from making any more exclamations as a tongue traveled over his dripping tip and a hot mouth enveloped the head of his cock.

He was already so stirred that between Kirishima's hands and his mouth within moments he was on the verge. It embarrassed him to think he could be finished off so easily. Frantically, his mind sought some kind of distraction in the hopes it would keep him from coming.

_Sales stats, baseball scores, Onodera Ritsu... That scabby stray cat I saw near the office pulling something fetid from a dumpster..._

All the usual things generally guaranteed to keep him from dropping over the edge weren't working.

Kirishima could feel his lover's tension. He stopped stroking and tightened his grip at the base of Yokozawa's shaft. He slipped his mouth off the spit-slick cock.

"Don't worry, Taka-chan. I have no intention of letting you come until you're begging for it."

Yokozawa knew better than to snort at this: he'd become only too well acquainted with his lover's sensual torments.

No sooner had Kirishima said this, than the man returned his attentions to his straining member.

"Oh, fuck…"

Yokozawa uttered a guttural moan as Kirishima enveloped him again and that glorious mouth resumed its motions. He could no longer refrain. His hands drifted down to rest lightly on the water-dark head below him. His fingers sought anchor in the thick, wet locks.

Suddenly Kirishima began to unexpectedly hum around him. Tears of ecstasy sprung into Yokozawa's eyes at the sensation; his chest hitched with rasping breaths. Finally, when he could bear the boiling-build of it no more, he at last lowered his pride.

"Please, Zen."

With those two simple words, Kirishima relented, he loosened his hand at the base of his shaft and once again added its motion to that of his mouth. Within three more rapid strokes Yokozawa's cock erupted, and Kirishima held him, taking in each milky spurt. His hand continued to lightly pump until the last drop was expelled. Once he was sure Yokozawa was spent, he slipped off.

Weak-kneed from the power of his release, Yokozawa slid down the wall with a sated sigh. His long legs folded, until he at last sat on the floor of the shower in front of his still-kneeling lover. He watched from under heavy-lidded eyes as Kirishima leaned over and spit his seed into the drain.

At this action, Yokozawa grumbled, "What? You don't love me, Zen?"

Kirishima turned and looked at him, an expression of shock evident when he saw the normally stern face sporting a wry half-smile.

"Are you actually _teasing_ me?" Kirishima asked incredulously, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Mmmm," Yokozawa acknowledged. "Consider it a moment of post-orgasmic weakness."

"God, you're cute," Kirishima grinned and slipped closer between splayed legs to kiss him again.

Yokozawa scowled. "I'm not cute, I'm terrifying." He pushed back his shower-wild, black hair with one hand and held Kirishima off him with the other. "And I don't particularly relish tasting myself."

Kirishima laughed at both these statements. Then he covered Yokozawa's hand on his chest with both of his own.

"What? You don't love me, Takafumi?" Kirishima threw his lover's words back at him.

Yokozawa's already furrowed brow ticked at this, but he allowed his arm to bend slowly as Kirishima continued to lean forward. Seconds later his mouth was claimed once more with a lingering kiss.

Kirishima pulled back after this, his face beaming as he stared into uncomfortable gray eyes.

"I thought so."

Beneath the falling water Kirishima beamed.

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><p><strong>NEW AN: <strong>  
><strong> Phantomhive, Latias Eevee, 25, and Fujoshi-Girl-Forever Thank you for the alerts and the favorites! Hope to hear from your sometime.<strong>

**TBF101- My lovely Bird, thank you for your amazing review. I agree with you that part of Yokozawa's ferocity is meant to function as a blind for his tender heart and that Hiyori is probably one of the only people he feel's safe to display this with. I think he can rationalize doing this because she has no mother in her life. In the same way that Takano had experienced no care-taking in his family of origin. And I do love the sexual fluidity of this couple. It's part of their appeal for me.**

**Hey Joan- Always love knowing that you're out there still reading. And I am glad that at least one of my readers is looking for my puns, instead of just crashing into them.**

**Fanita- it has been a long time. Thank you so much for chiming in. The part about Yokozawa and Hiyori dancing came from a rare moment of watching my father dance with my mother and then with my little sisters. It a favorite memory of mine and a side of him I wish he'd shown more often.**

**Hey Alcuzey- yes I know you and your angst. I think that this is a favored couple because both are strong men, mature, and one is not really subordinate to the other, but by his own choice. I also think Hiyori adds a lot to the mix and challenges the yaoi convention that females are in a story mainly to fuck things up. Also I think that despite her young age, she acts as a stand in for many a fangirl and what girl or young woman would not like to have such a doting father figure let alone two caring papas. Finally, I think the sexual fluidity of Kirishima (and Yokozawa) too is a great plus in the midst of convention and the the mutuality and consensuality (notice that consent and sensuality are both present in this word) has great appeal and challenges the "rape equals passion" trope of much yaoi.  
><strong>

**Just my humble thoughts on the topic. Though I would be open to hearing others' opinions.**

**Thanks to all those silent readers out there too.**

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><p><strong>OLD AN:<strong>

**Yes, terrible me and my serial lemons… one more chapter of shower sex and then back to the story. **

**Thank you for all the great comments and it's nice to see some people seem to enjoy reading this couple as much as I am enjoying writing them.**


	5. Entrance

**Warning: Continued Citrus**

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><p><strong>Celebrations<strong>

**Chapter Five: Entrance**

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><p>The warmth of the cascading water and his recent release left Yokozawa sleepy. He sighed and closed his eyes, allowing the feel and the sound of the spray to entrance him and found himself quickly lulled.<p>

His grey eyes shot back open, however, when Kirishima gently tweaked one of his nipples.

"Hey!" Yokozawa smacked the offending hand away.

Though he would never admit it, his refractory period always left him intensely sensitive for a time, and it wasn't just his cock either. Because of this, right after coming, certain touch was almost painful. He had learned the best way to cope with this was to just be still and drift for a while. Kirishima, however, perceptive as he was, quickly learned this, despite his attempts to hide it.

"Don't fall asleep on me, Takafumi," Kirishima prodded, earning a low growl from his shower-mate. "We're not finished here yet."

"Yeah, yeah." Yokozawa, unconsciously covered his still-tingling nub with his hand. His brow rose when Kirishima reached over into the shower basket and withdrew a bottle of shampoo.

"Here, wash my hair for me," Kirishima urged, knowing that this would not only keep Yokozawa awake, but that it would also prevent himself from advancing before his lover had fully recovered.

Yokozawa took the shampoo and looked out from under his sodden black bangs curiously. "You're serious?"

"Ummmmm." Kirishima nodded and turned around between Yokozawa's thighs so his back was accessible. Yokozawa offered a light snort at this, but he opened the cap and squeezed a small amount into his hand.

Moments later his long fingers were massaging Kirishima's lathered scalp.

Beneath his touch Kirishima was groaning. While Kirishima seemed to have sussed his body out within their first few joinings, Yokozawa was still discovering all the points of his lover's pleasure. It was quickly becoming obvious to him, however, that Kirishima's head was as incredibly sensitive as his own. Maybe even more so, if the sounds being offered were any indication.

He filed this information away for later use in their erotic skirmishes.

"You have no idea how jealous I get, seeing you do Hiyo's hair every morning." Kirishima punctuated his confession with a content sigh.

"Really?" The thought of Kirishima being jealous of Hiyori, both pleased and amused Yokozawa though he didn't show it.

Kirishima hummed his assent again, too enraptured for words. After a few moments of silence he added. "In fact, I have been purposely thinking about growing my hair out long enough so you'd have put it in a ponytail for me on a daily basis." He pushed back into Yokozawa's magic touch.

Yokozawa frowned. "That would look ridiculous!"

"Maybe so..." Kirishima chuckled, "But it would be worth it to have you running your fingers through my hair every day."

Behind him, Yokozawa shook his head. It never ceased to amaze him how straightforward Kirishima was: he would have never told anyone what he liked in such a plain manner.

_Not that it really matters, I suppose... Zen always seems to somehow know anyway._

"You say that now, but I think in just a short time you'd find yourself longing to have me out of your hair." Despite his stern expression, Yokozawa was having difficulty refraining from pulling his lover's thick, soapy locks into a semblance of cat ears.

Kirishima started at these words; he leaned back against Yokozawa's chest and turned his head so he could look at him directly.

"What?" Yokozawa growled irritably at his lover's wondering expression.

Kirishima's eyes slipped into something more sly almost immediately. "Was that another joke, Takafumi? I guess I am just going to have to start fucking you in the shower on a regular basis, if this is the effect it has."

"Technically you haven't 'fucked' me in the shower." Yokozawa pushed Kirishima up off him with soapy hands.

"Ah, well then we better remedy that, hadn't we."

Kirishima's tone sent a shiver down Yokozawa's spine.

Using the momentum of the shove to move forward, Kirishima stood up. As always, Yokozawa marveled at the man's easy grace.

He blinked through the water looking up at his lover's flawless skin, glowing slick under the shower. Kirishima's lean muscular lines, the tight, flat stretch of his belly, the upward curve of his cock, struck Yokozawa as particularly beautiful in this moment. His breath caught as he watched Kirishima's head dip back as he stepped under the spray to rinse his water-dark hair.

Kirishima's raised jaw accentuated his strong neck. It made his Adam's apple proudly pronounced, begging to be dropped his eyes, only too aware that despite how recently he'd just come; he could feel the blood already beginning to gather in his groin again. He looked up a moment later to see Kirishima standing before him, hand extended.

Kirishima growled playfully, "Up, you big bear!"

"You and your damn nicknames… so childish. Tsk!" Yokozawa hauled himself up, pointedly ignoring the proffered hand.

_Though I'd rather be called "Bear" any day over "Mama,"_ he thought, considering Kirishima's other favorite appellation for him.

Before Yokozawa even had a chance to get his feet fully under him, Kirishima was on him, maneuvering him up against a tiled wall again but this time facing it. Yokozawa felt his wrists captured by a strong grip. His hands pressed flat against the wall. He could feel Kirishima's weight against him and knew his chest would be grazing the tile soon if he didn't do something.

In response to this, he dropped his head and locked his lean arms. He pressed back, feeling the glory of wet skin against his own. As Kirishima's slick dick scored the crack of his ass, he felt the brush of his lover's sac on his own electrified flesh.

Despite his resistance, Yokozawa was stirred anew.

_I haven't recovered so quickly since I was a teenager. _His cock jumped when Kirishima hung his dripping head over his shoulder and the grip on his wrists increased ever so slightly.

"Come on, Taka-chan, be a good bear and growl for me." Kirishima turned his head and gently took an earlobe between his teeth. He gave it a light tug. Yokozawa turned his head away, pulling his lobe from between Kirishima's teeth despite the pinch this caused. He knew what was wanted, but he wasn't ready to relent...

_Yet._

"You want a growl? Fuck off! How's that?"

"Mmmm, that's a good start," Kirishima purred, undaunted by the snarl. "You're only slightly off."

One hand left Yokozawa's wrist and wetly feathered down his glistening side. Yokozawa closed his eyes. _Am I abnormal in some way? His barest touch stirs me so strongly. _

This kind of intense attention was what he had always previously hoped for but never experienced before meeting Kirishima. Even Takano had never affected him in quite this manner. Yokozawa gave a soft grunt as Kirishima's hand slid lower and began kneading one of his ass cheeks.

"Shall we try another growling lesson, Takafumi?"

Behind him, Kirishima smiled brightly feeling his lover tense and bristle. This was part of the game, the tease and playful domination he employed to break down Yokozawa's pride and his resistance. Though it was sometimes time consuming, Kirishima consider the effort well worth it. He enjoyed it but also understood it was necessary too: to move Yokozawa to a place where he could accept the love he was being offered.

Kirishima now knew Takano had wounded Yokozawa deeply, whether he'd intended to or not was of little concern. From what he'd seen of Marukawa's "Black Bear" outside the office, the tender heart and fierce loyalty, helping Yokozawa in his healing, making him conscious of his value, had become one of his greatest desires.

Of course it didn't hurt that he found his stern salesman adorable too.

Kirishima reached over to the shelf in the shower wall to the side of him and plucked up a small bottle. He popped the top and applied a liberal amount to his cock, bracing his erect member against Yokozawa's firm ass as he anointed himself.

"What's that?" Yokozawa's whisper was harsh. He was fighting his desire hard now.

"Oil base," Kirishima offered. "Don't want it washing away too quickly."

"You'll put that away... after... Right? I don't want Hiyori to find something like that lying around. She'll ask questions."

"Yes, Mama-san…" Kirishima dropped his head down and placed a hard sucking kiss on Yokozawa's shoulder.

"You worry too much, Takafumi." He placed another fierce kiss on the base of Yokozawa's neck. "How about you relax? I'll help you feel so good."

Yokozawa knew Kirishima's mouth was leaving marks that would linger, but he didn't care. He was so inflamed with his need he didn't even snap at him calling him "Mama."

A greased finger traced the crack of his ass, dipping down between firm cheeks. It traced down to the base of Yokozawa's balls and then slid back up, and began tenderly teasing his puckered entrance.

_"_How the hell is this supposed to relax me?_..."_

A sharp breath left Yokozawa and all he could focus on now was Kirishima's slippery digit sensually provoking him. He dipped his head slightly and hissed as Kirishima slid his finger slowly in. It wasn't that it hurt: Kirishima was exceedingly gentle. The sound came from the fact that even after all these months, despite the fact of his previous encounters with Takano as well, he still found himself struggling with the concept of being entered in such a way.

He had spent so many years keeping people out, building his defenses, that allowing anyone in, in any way was still difficult and this form of entrance was so…

_Intimate..._

Yokozawa felt his chest hitch as Kirishima probed him. As his breath built, the probing finger beginning to slide in and out, he was glad for the cover of the falling water. Kirishima's long digit found the nub of his pleasure and began to gently massage it.

When the finger pulled out before he was ready for it to leave him, in truth, Yokozawa did want to growl fiercely. Instead, however, he remained silent in his longing. At least, until Kirishima's hand returned this time entering him with two. At the same time, Kirishima's other hand left his wrist and slipped down to embrace his tight chest. With this touch, embraced inside and out, Yokozawa exhaled a ragged breath a shadow away from a sob.

Kirishima nuzzled the base of his neck.

"So do you still want me to 'fuck off,' Taka-chan?"

Yokozawa emitted a growling gasp under the skilled manipulations of Kirishima's fingers.

"Tell me or I'll stop."

"No!" Yokozawa barked before he could catch himself. He could feel himself flush, even beneath the heat of the shower. Behind him Kirishima chuckled.

"'No', you won't tell me? Or 'no' you don't want me to fuck off?"

Yokozawa wanted to resist answering, but then the fingers stilled inside him.

"Tell me, Takafumi," Kirishima sweetly urged.

When he still didn't answer, Kirishima slipped his fingers out of him. He stepped slightly to the side and tapped Yokozawa's flank with his stiff cock.

"Takafumi..."

Hearing all the emotion Kirishima imparted to that single word, Yokozawa's resistance finally crumbled.

"No," he rasped, "I don't want you to fuck off." He lowered his head and gritted his teeth. "I want you to fuck… me," he snarled through his clenched jaw.

"Now that's the growl I wanted to hear, my good Bear," Kirishima grrr'ed back. The previous lightness of his voice had suddenly grown heavy with the weight of his lust.

Yokozawa all but sighed with relief as Kirishima shifted back. A strong hand gripped his shoulder and the crown of Kirishima's cock almost immediately nudged against his anxious hole. He allowed himself to slowly collapse against the shower wall as Kirishima pressed into him.

Behind him, Kirishima fought to control himself. More than anything he wanted to thrust into the man beneath him, claiming him once again, letting Yokozawa know that he belonged to him and no one else. Still, Kirishima knew he also needed to be gentle: that Yokozawa was allowing him in was no small thing. He knew that there were still moments in their coupling that his lover's mind would drift to his old unrequited and he hoped that he might someday drive out any such lingering thoughts so that he would be the only one truly occupying Yokozawa's heart.

Kirishima was conscious also, even in the heat of his desire, that he didn't want to do anything that might cause Yokozawa to withdraw from him. So he bit back his own urges and eased in incrementally, coaxing Yokozawa to accept him.

Both men exhaled when he was finally in.

Yokozawa felt a soothing hand pulled through his hair and had to admit, Kirishima was right, it did feel good.

_Despite the burn, it always feels good now... So good..._

Kirishima continued his gentle petting as they stood waiting for Yokozawa to adjust.

"Are you ready, Takafumi?"

Though he would never say it, this was one of the things Yokozawa cherished about his lover: once they were joined like this, Kirishima dropped all teasing and the silly nicknames. He called him only by his first name and dealt with him with complete earnestness.

Moved by this and by the still-overpowering sensation of being entered, possessed, filled, Yokozawa could only bring himself to nod.

As always the tight heat of his lover stunned Kirishima. "Thank you for letting me in, Takafumi."

Kirishima's arms slipped around under Yokozawa's, his hands gripped his shoulders as he began to slowly, at first, slide in and out.

"Are you wet enough?"

Yokozawa felt his cheeks heat at the question. Kirishima took his hesitation as the answer. Before Yokozawa said anything, he felt a hand leave him and Kirishima pull out of him some, though not entirely, as the small bottle was taken up again and new oil applied.

After this, once Kirishima pushed back in, there was only the sounds of the running water, frictioning flesh, and their building breath as Kirishima began to pulse against him. Yokozawa's eyes were closed as he focused only on the powerful sensations searing through his body as Kirishima fucked him. His forehead was resting against the wall now. His chest pressed against the tile as well.

He felt a current of electricity shoot through him when one of his erect nipples, resting in a grouted groove, brushed the rough edge of a tile when his body shifted beneath Kirishima's quickening thrusts.

Yokozawa's cock, which had dropped slightly at the intrusion, was now reviving. It jumped as a hand left his shoulder and grazed along the tender skin of his low belly. As Kirishima' hand drifted lower to stroke the skin of his inner thighs and feather against the base of his cock, Yokozawa groaned loudly and moved a wrist beneath his mouth to stifle the noise.

It seemed that with every pulse, Kirishima was filling him more fully, each time brushing that internal place of pleasure. Though he didn't come externally, Yokozawa suddenly felt wave after wave of bliss roll through his low belly. He shuddered under the broader body covering his. His mouth released his wrist.

"Oh fuck, Zen!"

Hearing this exclamation, driven by the sounds of ecstasy in his lover's voice, Kirishima could no longer hold back. He plunged himself in with such force it drove Yokozawa on to the tips of his toes to follow the motion of his taller thrusts. Kirishima rested his forehead on one of Yokozawa's broad shoulders as he pounded into him.

Soon Yokozawa's calves were burning from holding this position, but he didn't want the full and the feel of Kirishima's pulsing to end. He gasped in warning as he felt his internal damn begin to breach and knew the flood was coming.

Kirishima rasped in his ear, "So close."

Yokozawa felt the strong arms that had somehow entwined themselves around his chest loosen as Kirishima prepared to withdraw.

"I'm going to come on your ass. Okay?"

Yokozawa could hear the pre-release grimace in the voice of the man behind him. He shocked both of them by pushing back slightly so that he could move his arms. He wrapped these over Kirishima's to bind the man to him.

"No, Zen… come inside me," he choked in a hoarse whisper. The sound of desperate want, the tone of invitation, the utterance of his name: hearing this was too much for Kirishima. It was what he'd been waiting for these many months.

"Ahh, Takafumi!" He cried out as his cock erupted adding new warmth to the heat that already engulfed him.

Yokozawa felt Kirishima's seed fill him. He tipped his head back and found tender lips brushing the edge of his jaw. He uttered a soft grunt as his own cock spasmed. Pearled jets arced up, stringing trails over the tiles. One of Kirishima's hands slipped down and wrapped around his twitching member, urging it on until every last drop had been spent.

Leaning heavily against the wall as Kirishima continued to embrace him, Yokozawa was so aware of the other man's body: Kirishima's head over his shoulder, the sides of their faces touching; one hand over his heart, the other still around his cock. Kirishima's own cock dwindling but still inside.

He had never felt so connected, or so truly embraced.

Behind him, with Yokozawa sharing his body as he had, allowing himself to be enveloped as he was, Kirishima was experiencing a similar feeling.

After standing like this for several minutes, Kirishima withdrew and stepped back slightly. He sunk back down to the shower floor drawing Yokozawa with him. Sitting between Kirishima's thighs, after a few moments Yokozawa started to rise. Kirishima carefully restrained him. "Rest with me here for a few more minutes."

"We should get cleaned up. We're just wasting water now," Yokozawa grumbled. He could feel Kirishima smile behind him at this complaint.

"What if I let you pay the water bill this month?"

Yokozawa considered this. It still wasn't what he felt was his full share, but it was a start and it showed that Kirishima was letting him in, in his own way.

"Deal." Yokozawa forced himself to sound reluctant as he settled back into the comforting expanse of Kirishima's broad chest.

* * *

><p>Sometime later, they emerged from the bath, each in his nightwear and both incredibly clean, if slightly pruney.<p>

Yokozawa immediately went to Hiyori's door and cracked it open.

He was greeted with the glittering eyes of Sorata who was curled up on the bed next to her. The cat scowled at his master's intrusion. He offered Yokozawa a slightly miffed sniff: as if annoyed his owner didn't trust him enough with his self-appointed task as Hiyori's night guardian.

Seeing that Hiyori was still sleeping soundly, Yokozawa breathed a sigh of relief. After closing the door softly he started when he backed up, finding Kirishima standing directly behind him.

"What the hell are you doing there?"

Kirishima said nothing in response to his lover's barked whisper, he just pressed closer with a sly grin on his face. Yokozawa pushed back and stepped away scowling.

"I would have thought you'd just had enough of that."

Kirishima's eyes danced. "I could never get enough of 'that,' Taka-chan." He smiled wickedly. Then his face became just a bit more serious.

"I'm here to walk you to your door, since you refuse to sleep with me. After all, what kind of gentleman would I be to just abandon you after such a lovely date?"

Yokozawa snorted at this as he moved down the short hallway towards his room.

"My door is literally less than five feet away from yours."

Regardless of his words Kirishima shadowed him to his door. Yokozawa turned at the entrance to his bedroom, arms crossed. When Kirishima continued to stand before him he pulled out one of his fiercer frowns.

"You're being ridiculous!"

He was stunned when Kirishima, in response to his admonishment, just leaned in and kissed him tenderly. A gentle hand reached up and brushed his cheek.

"Goodnight, Takafumi," Kirishima whispered. "I love you." Rich brown eyes glowed warmly. Then he turned and moved quietly into his own room.

As soon as Kirishima's door closed, Yokozawa slipped into his room and closed his own door behind him. Leaning against this, in the dim light he cast his eye on his empty futon and sighed.

He rubbed his hand over his lips where the lingering sensation of Kirishima's kiss still burned and felt himself almost start to smile. Then suddenly, unexpectedly, Yokozawa felt his knees buckle at the realization of how deeply in love with Kirishima he actually was.

A solemn expression overtook his features. _At least I stopped that smile. _

Yokozawa took no comfort in his mind's lame attempt at humor. Not when his heart was at stake. He slid his back down the door until his ass collided with the floor, eliciting a slight wince. Burying his face in his hands, his long fingers ran through his still damp bangs.

_This is bad. _

Yokozawa's chest that had been so recently full suddenly felt empty and aching. As one intimately acquainted with accounts, too vividly he remembered how much it had cost him the last time he'd allowed himself to fall so in love.

"Fuck," Yokozawa whispered behind the shield of his hands.

* * *

><p><strong>NEW AN:<strong>

**Thank you so much for all the amazing feedback. I have been traveling and have had no internet access (hard to believe, but true). Anyway, I am now in a hotel with WiFi... Thank god!**

**Hope you all had a great fouth of July (Americans) and a fine weekend (Everyone else). **

**AN's next chapter.**

**OLD AN:**

**Okay, I have to say that I feel relatively pleased with this particular lemon. Next chapter will be Yokozawa taking Hiyori shopping for her new outfit. God, I love torturing that man almost as much as Kirishima does.**

**Thank you for all the great reviews. So glad people are enjoying this story. Hope to hear that you like this citrus. But if it was sour for you tell me too. I don't mind.**


	6. Reprieves

**Celebrations**

**Chapter Six: Reprieves**

* * *

><p>Yokozawa looked up from his desk at the clock. He frowned as he noted the time and then turned his eyes back down to the spreadsheets before him.<p>

He was more than caught up with his work at this point. In fact, he would be ahead until mid-week now with all he had gotten done. Rather than rejoice at this, however, his efficiency was cause for consternation because now he absolutely no excuse not to take Hiyori shopping that afternoon.

"Yokozawa!"

Gray eyes shot up and Yokozawa saw Takano standing in the door of his office. A dark head nodded and a pack of smokes was waved by an editorial hand.

"Come on, I know you've been at it for hours!" Takano called when his friend hesitated, his voice carried its usual good-natured snarl.

Yokozawa's face remained impassive, but inside his chest his heart was beating wildly. Despite the heartache Takano had brought him, he had missed his best friend. Even though they each had new partners now (not that Takano knew about him and Kirishima yet), they had known each other for a long time and Yokozawa wanted things between the two of them to get better again.

Since their confrontation about Onodera, outside of yelling at each other in meetings, it had just been within the last two weeks that he and Takano had resumed communication with each other. Their recently renewed contacts had been brief and casual, but there was still an underlying tension. This was why it pained Yokozawa to shake his head instead of rising from his desk.

"I'm trying to quit."

Hearing this, the face in the doorway frowned. "Eh? When the hell did that start?" Takano sounded as annoyed as he did curious.

"Not that it's any of your business, Masamune, but I have been cutting down for over a month! I am down to three a day and I don't feel like wasting my remaining ones right now."

Takano studied Yokozawa intensely for a moment as if old his friend was a riddle he was trying to decipher and then he shrugged.

"Suit yourself." He turned and headed off out the door.

Watching him leave, Yokozawa still felt his heart clench. He dropped his eyes down to his figures and once again saw the stats for Emerald. Reviewing these, he felt the ache in his chest quickly replaced by a burning irritation.

_Takano was right in his projections for the last issue… again… and after I so vigorously opposed the extra printing. _

"Great, just one more reason to be an arrogant ass," Yokozawa muttered under his breath.

"What was that Yokozawa-san?" Henmi had just returned with an armload of folders.

"Ah… Nothing."

Yokozawa felt bad Henmi had been compelled to come in on the weekend to work with him, as the files they were currently dealing with were for a project that didn't need to be done for a month yet.

"You know, Henmi, you can go home if you like."

"Ah, Yokozawa-san, to be honest, my mother in-law is visiting. And when she and my wife get together…" The clerk looked a bit sheepish. "Let's just say I don't mind putting in a little bit of extra time away from home right now. Eh?"

Yokozawa nodded in understanding. He glanced up at the clock again nervously.

_Speaking of troublesome people… Kirishima should be arriving with Hiyori any minute._

He really didn't want anyone at Marukawa seeing him with them. It was enough that people had begun to notice that he and Kirishima had become "close" of late. Yokozawa suddenly wondered if he wouldn't be better off waiting for the Kirishimas outside. Considering this he began to straighten his desk in preparation for leaving.

No sooner had he finished this thought, however, than he heard Hiyori's giggle followed by a hearty, "Yokozawa!"

He and Henmi looked up simultaneously to see the two Kirishimas standing in the doorway.

Yokozawa grimaced.

"So loud," he grumbled as he watched the pair approach. He kept his expression moderately annoyed, but in truth he felt a lump in his throat at how brightly both Zen and Hiyori were smiling at him, Hyori in particular. Abandoning any pretense at straightening, Yokozawa grabbed a handful of papers and shoved them into his work case along with his laptop.

"I'll see you Monday if you don't come in tomorrow, Henmi."

"Onii-chan!" Hiyori exclaimed breathlessly stepping up to the desk, her dark eyes were dancing. "Are you excited?"

"Mmmmmm..." Yokozawa avoided Henmi's wondering stare and uncomfortably fidgeted with the clasps on his bag.

Kirishima's keen eyes picked up on Yokozawa's unease. He knew it was partly because Henmi was there. But there was more to it than this. Since the previous night in the shower, Yokozawa had been decidedly distant.

Though he knew his lover was a man of moods, Kirishima had been worried by this sudden shift and their schedules that morning had not allowed them time to talk. Despite his concern, he had allowed Yokozawa to withdraw and not pressed, sensing the man was at a critical juncture internally. He understood that if he pushed too hard, his stern but sensitive lover might retreat from him completely.

It was for this reason that now, rather than tease, he offered Yokozawa a smile.

"Thank you so much for taking Hiyori today so she didn't have to be on her own, Yokozawa. I know that it's rather an imposition on our friendship, but I really appreciate it."

Both Hiyori and Yokozawa looked at Kirishima with an expression of perplexity since the two men had been splitting Saturdays for weeks now.

Yokozawa, had been working in the morning and Kirishima in the afternoon, so that Hiyori had at least one adult around all day for the weekends. They had come upon this arrangement after Yokozawa had expressed a concern with how much time the girl spent on her own during the week already.

"But, Papa…" Hiyori started. Then her eyes caught sight of Henmi who was standing nearby with undisguised look of intense interest on his spectacled face. Seeing this, she fell silent.

Yokozawa too suddenly understood and the wave of warmth that swelled in his chest at Kirishima's tact irked him. Ever since the realization of his love after their last "coming together" he had been looking for a reason to leave and it bothered him that Kirishima somehow seemed to know this and was doing his damnedest not to offer him any excuses to do so.

"Come on, Hiyo-chan," Kirishima extended his hand to his daughter. "Let's go out in the hall and wait for Yokozawa to finish up here. He's a busy man, you know."

Not wanting to address any of the questions he was reading on Henmi's face, Yokozawa stepped away from his desk and immediately followed.

"I'm ready now." He growled striding purposefully after them.

Out in the hall, Kirishima turned to Yokozawa and extended his free hand.

"Here, give me your bag. You don't need to be carting that around with you all afternoon. I'll bring it home with me later."

Yokozawa frowned, but he released it into Kirishima's grasp. Something about this struck him as oddly intimate but Kirishima turned to Hiyori before he could complain.

"Do you have your money, Hiyo?"

"Yes, Papa," Hiyori released her father's hand and pulled out an envelope from the cat-faced purse she had slung over her slender shoulder.

"Okay, good and I'll see you _both_ when we all get home." Kirishima eyed Yokozawa meaningfully as he said this. Then his face slipped back into a smile.

Seeing the glow on Kirishima's face, Yokozawa suddenly wondered who was happier he was taking Hiyori shopping, the little girl or her father. He felt a slight flush climb into his cheeks when Kirishima nodded at him before turning to head off to his office. Yokozawa and Hiyori watched him move down the hall.

_Grinning idiot._

It was almost as if the man could read his mind, as Kirishima gave them both one last larger grin and a wave. "Don't have too much fun without me!" he called down the quiet corridor before disappearing into the elevator.

Once Kirishima was no longer in sight Yokozawa looked down at Hiyori.

"Ready, Onii-chan?" Hiyori giggled and bounced up and down on her toes with excitement.

Yokozawa exhaled a long breath thinking about the hours ahead of him,"As I'll ever be."

As they were exiting the building, Yokozawa glanced over to the smoking area and winced: not only was Takano still standing there casually puffing away, but the Emerald editor had obviously seen him.

Yokozawa scowled as Takano looked after him with his brow raised in unspoken question; his amber eyes glinted. Yokozawa had seen a similar expression on Sorata before, when he'd caught the cat contemplating some sort of complex feline equation. He ignored Takano and instead looked down at Hiyori.

"Onii-chan, do you want to smoke? I don't mind waiting here if you want to."

_Hiyori is developing her father's perception. _Yokozawa frowned at this. He glanced back uneasily for the merest of moments.

"No, I have more important things to do right now." Yokozawa didn't smile, but the look he gave Hiyori was significant and he found to his surprise he meant what he said. Gazing back down at the young girl beside him, any lingering sense of conflict he felt instantly evaporated in the warmth of Hiyori's eyes.

* * *

><p>Unfortunately the contentment Yokozawa had felt leaving Marukawa was fleeting and he soon found himself experiencing a mounting sense of trepidation as they neared the mall.<p>

Even before this, however, the train ride to the shopping center had already left him feeling harried. The cars had been filled with Saturday shoppers and weekend workers and he had been forced to stand his ground quite firmly to make sure the press of people didn't crush Hiyori.

To make matters worse, Hiyori had been quite aware of what her Onii-chan was doing. She had spent the whole ride gazing up at him and smiling appreciatively. Though he'd tried to find other things in the car to occupy his attention, Yokozawa hadn't been able to help help but glance back at Hiyori periodically. Her open admiration had made him uncomfortable.

Yokozawa had long felt that he was a poor judge of beauty, he'd fallen for Takano after all. Nonetheless, every time he'd looked at Hiyori during their train ride, there was no doubt in his mind that the little figure before him was lovely.

He had glimpsed a picture of Hiyori's mother once. He'd found it one day looking for something to read, while he was hanging about the Kirishima apartment. He had pulled a book from one of the many bookshelves and the photo fell out from where it had been wedged between two novels. He had cautiously read the script on the back, curious, but all the while not wanting to be intrusive.

The woman was very pretty. Her smile fit her face seamlessly, just like her husband's did. Considering this, Yokozawa had wondered, once again, what in the world it was that Kirishima saw in him?

Despite seeing this picture though, still whenever he looked at Hiyori, like today on the train, try as he might, Yokozawa never really saw the girl's mother. He saw Kirishima, as Hiyori had not only her father's coloring, but his nose, his smile, his eyes.

Yokozawa had realized on the train he loved seeing Kirishima in the child before him, but more than that, he loved Hiyori herself, with her sweet and easy manner. Her laugh made even his most hellish days seem somehow lighter. Having entered the Kirishima's lives as he had, he was now in a terrible bind: if he left, he would not just be leaving the father, but the daughter also and this realization weighed on him heavily.

_Such troubling epiphanies_.

For the moment, however, he set this off to the side as the mall's gleaming castle of consumerism now loomed over him. He had other more pressing worries to consider.

The first was navigating the rest of this day with Hiyori. The second was to find an adequate birthday present to give her himself.

As they walked up to the center's entry, Yokozawa noted the mall's exterior smoking area. He noted the number of men standing around silently smoking; their faces reflecting apprehension or boredom as their wives and girlfriends shopped inside.

Yokozawa had to admit he felt a slight pang of jealousy. He'd never been much of a shopper. There were few material things that tempted him outside of books and, though he always felt silly buying them, toys for Sorata. Now he occasionally bought sweets for Hiyori too, but other than that...

Kirishima was the same way with the exception of Hiyori. Yet thankfully, though while he loved to make his little girl happy, he was not inclined to spoil her (too much). Yokozawa respected this immensely.

Now that Hiyori was older, however, rather than buy her things, Kirishima would more often give her spending money and she would go shopping with Yuki and her mother.

_Yuki's mother is a shopping machine. _This thought made Yokozawa shudder.

He growled the minute they entered the mall and his senses were assaulted by a cacophony of consumer goods.

"Tell me again, why I'm here?" Yokozawa felt his normal frown deepen. Going to a place like this to check on sales or promote a new product was one thing. Being here as he was now, was something else entirely.

"We're here to buy something pretty, Onii-chan," Hiyori giggled. "Like that." She pointed to a shop widow filled with all the glory of young girls' garments.

Yokozawa's eyes widened and he felt his heart begin to beat faster as his vision was filled with pastels, polka-dots, glitter, and bows.

_You bastard, Zen, leaving me on my own like this._

"Right..." Looking into Hiyori's sparkly eyes, he rubbed the back of his head nervously.

_I am so screwed._

Just then he heard the rumble of a small stomach. He looked over at Hiyori who was blushing profusely.

"Didn't your father feed you before you left the house?" Then, considering Kirishima, Yokozawa revised his question. "I mean, didn't you feed your father and yourself?"

Hiyori's blush deepened. "I'm sorry, Onii-san. I was too excited to eat."

Yokozawa was slightly touched that their day together meant so much to Hiyori, but he didn't show it. Instead he shook his head and pulled out his phone.

"You two..." he quickly typed in a text.

_"Z. Don't forget to eat something. But stay away from the vending machines. I left a lunch in the fridge in 1st floor the staff lounge Friday I didn't get to eat. - Y."_

Then his forehead furrowed.

_God, I really do sound like a "Mama."_ He paused a moment and added the word "Idiot" after "something." Feeling somewhat mollified by this, he closed his phone and looked at Hiyori.

"Food first, shopping second." His voice let Hiyori know there was no room for negotiation.

"Okay, Onii-san," Hiyori chirped agreeably. She was not at all dismayed by his growl and began walking with him in the direction of the food court.

Yokozawa exhaled a breath of relief as they moved past the dress filled store: he'd just gotten a half-hour reprieve.

* * *

><p><strong>Atalaya86, Sora Yagami 4869, Kagayakuusagi22, HMOrange216, Raven82619, Kuromikaeru, Thank you for the favorites and follows.<strong>

**Lylia00- Yes, he's such a delightful victim. Thank you for the review!**

**Janice P- One of my favorite reviewers. Thank you for the kind words about my erotica. I like to challenge myself to make every intimate scene its own. And yes, I have not forgotten the Uke Flu. Now that my travels are done for a few weeks, I am hoping to find myself with time to write more new updates.**

**Atalaya86- thank you sweetheart. Nice "Junjou Pets" update, BTW. I like seeing all the "Neko Hiro" influences. You write so sweet Terrorist. Hope to give a more proper review later.**

**JoanIncarnate- I am glad you like my talkative AN's. I know some readers find them annoying. Yes, Yokozawa is my favorite character too. He's the SIH equivalent to Hiroki. And have fun in New Zealand, you lucky duck. I have always wanted to go there. It looks like an amazing place. You'll have to tell us all about it when you get back. **

**Jade- the sound of a fangirl/boy sighing is music to my ears. Hope to hear it again, but we're going to have to wade through some drama before we hit more fluff.**

**TBF101- Well, Flamingo, you know how much I love to ruffle your feathers. Thank you for all the props. I always want to write the characters with a certain sensitivity, but still write them as masculine. Makes me feel good to hear you think I have done this successfully.**


	7. Choices

**Celebrations **

**Chapter Seven: Choices**

* * *

><p>Yokozawa navigated ordering lunch with Hiyori amicably, though he fussed a bit over her food choices. He'd gotten so used to the home cooking he and Hiyori had been doing that all the fast food in the court looked anemic.<p>

He scowled about this until Hiyori teasingly reminded him that their trip was for _her_ _birthday_, so some celebration was in order. She placated her Onii-chan somewhat, however, by later picking a dish of fresh fruit for dessert instead of some other sweet.

While they were eating, Yokozawa remained generally silent while he picked at his noodles. This was not too uncommon, since Hiyori had more than enough to say for both of them. Given this, their conversations generally seemed to work out fine. When he did speak, it was to most often ask some sort of question which was mainly intended to get Hiyori talking again. For instance, when Hiyo began telling him about another classmate whose cat had just had kittens, he asked _"What color?"_ and was then entertained with ten minutes of vivid description, right down to the freckles on the pads of their pink paws.

Secretly, he liked listening to Hiyori talk. To him the sound of her voice was like the chirping of the first spring bird after a long hard winter. His own life had been filled with so much silence he welcomed her chatter.

Once the meal was over, they threw away their trash and began walking through the mall. As they progressed along the walkway, Hiyori's vocalizations now, however, instead of soothing, were making him increasingly nervous.

"Yuki's mom brought us here last week after school. She had the day off. Remember, Onii-chan?"

"Ummm…" Yokozawa vaguely remembered being irritated that the woman had brought Hiyori home late and hopped up on sugar.

"We spent all afternoon trying on clothes. There was one store that had really good things." Hiyori smiled. Then her sweet face became quite serious.

At the first part of Hiyori's statement Yokozawa's brow rose with apprehension. "All afternoon?"

"Uh huh! It was so much fun! I think we should go there first," Hiyori advised sagely.

"Having been there before and seeing what they had, you must know what you want then. Right, Hiyori?".

Hiyori giggled at the question."Oh, Onii-chan, you're so funny!"

Yokozawa followed her closely through the crowds of shoppers, all the while trying to decipher the meaning of this last declaration.

_Why in the hell would she think I was being humorous, when I was being earnest? _

He was so lost in his thoughts he almost ran into Hiyori, when she finally stopped. She turned and looked brightly up at him.

"We're here, Onii-chan."

Yokozawa looked up and glanced at the shops overhead sign; it read "Girl Power." He felt a weak chill trickle down his spine, frowned, and shifted uncomfortably. His disquiet grew when he looked inside and saw not only an overwhelming selection of girly garments, but also a number of mothers and daughters intently shuffling through the racks.

"Er… You know, Hiyori-chan, I could just wait out here while you look." Yokozawa glanced across the walk and saw a bookstore. "Over there, in fact. You could come and get me when you're done."

Hiyori cocked her head at him, then she sighed "You sound like, Papa." Her young face flashed with disappointment for the merest of moments. Then she brought out a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Okay, Onii-chan. I'll come get you when I'm done."

Yokozawa's frown deepened at this.

_Coward,_ he thought to himself. _You terrorize your whole department, but you're going to allow yourself to be scared off by a bunch of middle-class mothers?_

"Hiyori-chan, wait!" He forced half his mouth into a slight smirk. "I was just kidding of course."

"Really?" Hiyori studied him intently.

"Ummmm…" Yokozawa nodded, sticking his hands into his pocket and desperately wishing for a cigarette. He fortified himself instead with Hiyori's new and complete smile and began moving into the store.

No sooner had they entered than a saleswoman stepped up to them. She offered a slight bow.

"Welcome to _Girl Power_, can I help you?" She asked Yokozawa; her sweet smiling flickering only slightly in the wake of his stern countenance.

"Do I look like I need help?" Yokozawa's voice was just loud enough that several of the women shopping stopped and looked at him. More than one sniffed in disapproval.

The young woman wisely remained silent, though her eyes now glinted with amusement rather than fear.

Seeing this, Yokozawa immediately knew he was on her territory, not his. He felt his cheeks heat up at this realization. He fought his desire to grimace and instead answered as politely as he could.

"Perhaps you could help her?" he set one of his large hand's on Hiyori's shoulder.

"Ah certainly," the young woman smiled anew and leaned over slightly to be more level with Hiyori. "And how can I assist you today, Miss?"

"I'm looking for a new outfit for my school festival."

"Something in a skirt or a dress, perhaps?" The sales woman asked.

"Yes, please," Hiyori answered politely then she added, "I was here last week with my friend and her mama and we tried on some things that I liked."

"Ah, well let's go see if maybe we can find those things again. Shall we?" The clerk moved with Hiyori back into the racks and Yokozawa reluctantly followed. "We got some new things in too, yesterday."

As they worked their way deeper into the racks, Yokozawa felt himself growing increasingly claustrophobic. All the colors and patterns surrounding him were rather overwhelming. He realized with a bit of a start that he might actually be feeling a little faint.

"Sir?" the sales clerk had looked up and noticed his increasingly pale pallor. "We have some chairs over there by the dressing room if you'd like to sit down."

These words brought a fresh frown to Yokozawa's strained face.

_Am I so obvious? _Clearing his throat, he managed to reply without sounding too distressed.

"No I'm fine." _I just need something else to focus on._

Fortunately, Hiyori obliged him in this.

"What do you think about this, Onii-chan?" She held up a pink dress for his approval. "Or do you like this one better?" pulling a pale green dress out of the rack.

Yokozawa's brow furrowed. "Uh… they're both… fine?"

Hiyori gave him her patented eye roll. "Which do you think is prettier though?"

"I think maybe you should try them both on," the sales clerk offered. "Then you can show your big brother and he can see which one looks nicer on you."

Yokozawa tensed at the woman's naming of him and waited to see how Hiyori would respond, but she said nothing. Even so, he didn't relax; he imagined the clerk thought she was doing him a favor with this suggestion, but in truth she was really just prolonging his torture.

He followed the two females to the back of the store where the dressing rooms were.

Watching several mothers pass through the dressing room entrance, their arms full of clothes for their daughters to try on, Yokozawa balked. He looked down at the empty chairs the clerk had mentioned earlier.

"I'll just wait here then, shall I?"

Hiyori paused for just the barest of moments before she nodded. "I think that would be best Onii-chan. I can come out and show the dress to you once I have it on and you can help me make my choice then."

"I'll come back and help you if you like," the sales clerk smiled. This notion seemed to please Hiyori and she nodded. The two headed back into the dressing rooms.

Yokozawa breathed a deep sigh of relief once Hiyori was out of sight. He ran one of his large hands through his shaggy hair.

"God damn it," he muttered. Now he really wanted a cigarette.

Just then his phone vibrated; he pulled it from his pocket and seeing it was Kirishima he answered it.

"What?"

"Hey, I just called because I wanted to see how you were faring."

Yokozawa could hear the smile in Kirishima's voice. "You're an ass…

"And a coward," he added for good measure.

On the other end of the line Kirishima laughed heartily. "That good, eh? And if it makes you feel any better I won't deny your designations."

Yokozawa hummed as though he was considering how to answer.

Then Kirishima spoke again and this time his voice was serious. "I really do appreciate what you're doing Takafumi. It means so much to Hiyo. She talked about it all the way from the house to the office. To be honest, I was a bit jealous; it's been a long time since I've seen her that excited."

"Really?" Yokozawa couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice.

"Uh huh."

For a moment there was an uncomfortable silence then the editor's voice became playful again. "You know, if you make it through this, I'm sure I can find some way to make it up to you…"

Yokozawa snorted, "Hummph." Although the promise in Kirishima's voice sent a flood of warmth coursing into his lower regions.

"Pervert, you shouldn't say such things when I'm stuck in a store filled with children."

"Ah, who's the pervert now, Taka-chan? I didn't say how it was I would soothe you," Kirishima teased.

Caught in his own lustful thoughts Yokozawa felt the heat that had settled in his groin now shoot throughout his body.

"I loathe you and I'm hanging up."

"I love you too, Takafumi," Kirishima's voice was both playful and serious. He hung up before Yokozawa could retort.

Yokozawa stared at his dead phone.

"Like I said, 'you're an ass'," he muttered as he flipped it closed and stuck it in his pocket, but there was no malice his voice.

* * *

><p><strong>So this is the end of the repost. Now what comes next will be all new material.<strong>

**NobodyPraysForTheHeartless- Thank you for the follow/favorite. Hope to hear from you sometime.**

**JoanIncarnate- Safe travels, and yes, about the AN's I think you're right. I agree too about the danger of Hiyori developing a crush on her "big brother" if her father and Yokozawa were to continue to play the "just friends" card. This is something I have thought about often. Though children are often far more perceptive than adults give them credit for. **

**TBF101- So happy to see this review from you. You're so sweet to me. Thank you for your kind words. I want very much for each character to be an individual. And I agree with you about children. I am basing a lot of my development of Hiyori on my younger sisters. Particularly this shopping thing. God, I hated being dragged along to shop with them and my mom. Of course I have made Hiyori more polite than my sisters. I can't take unruly children, even in fiction.**

**Lylia00- Yes, I agree. To expand on what I said above to TBF, I am not a big fan of shopping... especially for clothes. I just look at something and if I think it will fit I get it. Hate trying things on. Don't really like stores in general, they tend to overwhelm me. Unless it's a hardware store or a thift shop. I think Yokozawa's nurturing nature is both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness. It's also what makes him such a wonderful character... that tension between the hard and the soft of him.  
><strong>

**Atalaya86- You make a good point. Let's not tell Yokozawa that though. :)**


	8. Realizations

**Celebrations**

**Chapter Eight: Realizations**

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><p>Yokozawa had only just finished putting his phone away when his eye caught a flash of color and he turned to see Hiyori approaching him from the direction of the dressing room. The shop clerk followed not far behind.<p>

"What do you think, Onii-chan?" Hiyori mad a little twirl and the skirt of the pink dress fluffed up. "Do you like it?"

Overwhelmed by a flash of petticoat ruffles beneath the pleats, Yokozawa paled. "It's a nice color," he forwarded cautiously.

Catching something amiss in her Onii-chan's tone, Hiyori cocked her head. "But?..."

This whole episode was becoming more uncomfortable for Yokozawa by the moment. He silently cursed Kirishima again for abandoning him to this task. This was something that a mother should be doing not some uncouth salesman.

"You don't think it's cute, Onii-chan? Yuki's mom did."

There were times that Yokozawa found his sense of responsibility very troublesome and this, he realized, was going to be one of them. He knew that the easiest route would be to simply tell Hiyori she looked very nice so they could buy the dress and get out of there. However, his feelings for Kirishima's little daughter were not going to allow him to do this.

"Mmm," Yokozawa nodded in affirmation at last. Though honestly, to him, what made the dress at all pleasing was the person in it.

Hiyori could tell that there was more her Onii-chan wanted to say, so she stopped her swishing about and waited.

"Errr…" Yokozawa coughed lightly before managing to finally blurt out, "Is it meant to be so short?" The skirt of the dress was cut high and about half of Hiyori's thighs were visible.

The store suddenly felt very warm as Yokozawa wondered how Hiyori would be able to navigate the world in such a garment without being revealed. The thought of this made him very uneasy.

"It's a version of the Lolita. There's specialty bloomers the girls wear underneath," the salesclerk offered in the dress' defense. She stepped up closer to Hiyori to create an appearance of solidarity.

"It a very popular style this season." She gestured towards the manikins displayed over the racks on the far wall.

Dark brows dipped down with further dismay as Yokozawa surveyed the plastic forms: they were posed in ways that struck him as highly provocative.

_As if the name of the style isn't disconcerting enough._

Looking back at Hiyori, her onii-chan cleared his throat again. Yokozawa's tie felt very constricting at the moment. He wasn't sure how to articulate what he thought, or if it was something that was appropriate for him to say since he wasn't her parent. Still, the protectiveness that burned in his chest couldn't be denied.

Tact had never been his strong point and feeling the need to be careful with his words was making Yokozawa's temples start to pulse. Then an idea came to him.

"Well, I don't know much about current styles, but… All those ruffles… Isn't that very childish? Don't you want something to show your Papa you're a young lady now, Hiyori?"

A small crease formed on Hiyori's smooth brow. She looked down at the dress thoughtfully.

"I _am_ turning eleven…"

"Yes," Yokozawa held his breath as he watched Hiyori consider.

"Maybe I should try on that other dress?"

Yokozawa nodded, afraid to say anything that might inadvertently change Hiyori's mind.

"Okay, Onii-chan. I'll be back in a minute!"

Once Hiyori and the frowning salesclerk had trooped back to the fitting rooms, Yokozawa exhaled the breath he'd been holding. His sigh turned into a curse as his phone buzzed.

Assuming it was his annoying lover again, he answered it without looking at the number.

"I am going to kick your ass for this…"

One the other end of the line Henmi let out a frightened yelp. "I know… I'm so sorry, Yokozawa-san; I was terribly negligent. There's really no excuse …"

Gray eyes widened hearing the clerk's voice and Yokozawa brought his free hand to his forehead in an attempt to still the twitch in his brow.

"Ah, Henmi…"

Before he could offer some lame explanation for his rudeness, Henmi rushed forward in a burst. "I know you must have realized my failure as soon as you left the office, Yokozawa-san.

"You told me clearly yesterday to get those figures from you for the Ruzuki Manga Chain's account when we met this morning. But then there was that issue with the Tomo files and their import records and I forgot… So, sorry again, Yokozawa-san; I apologize once more for my incompetence."

Yokozawa could have told Henmi it wasn't really an issue; the Ruzuki account wasn't that pressing. But then he'd have to apologize for his rude greeting and, sitting amidst the Lolita-filled store, the sales manager had endured about all the humiliation he could for one day.

"I am glad you caught your error, Henmi." Modulating his tone, Yokozawa tried to sound stern but not too harsh. With all of his worry about going shopping with Hiyori he too had forgotten all about his earlier order.

"Yes, Yokozawa-san." Henmi sighed in relief, hearing only moderate annoyance in his manager's voice. "Again, I am sorry. I know you have left for the day, but if you could send me those figures so I can finish the Ruzuki report I would be very grateful. I promise I'll be more mindful in the future.

"Never worry about calling after hours, Henmi." As long as they'd worked together Yokozawa figured his clerk should have known by now that the "Dark Horse" rarely entirely left the office.

His free hand unconsciously dipped down, long fingers feeling for his bag at the base of the chair he sat in. Yokozawa felt a moment of panic when they encountered only empty air. Then, looking down to see where it might have gone, he suddenly remembered he'd given his work case to Kirishima.

_Even when he's being helpful he's troublesome._

"It will take me a few minutes to pull them up, Henmi. But I'll get them off to you shortly."

"Ah, Thank you so much, Yokozawa-san. Again, my apologies."

Yokozawa gave a light grunt signifying both his acceptance of Henmi's apology and the clerk's dismissal and ended the call. Within moments, following this, he was on the line again, waiting for Kirishima to pick up his cell.

Kirishima's voice was bright when he answered on the second ring. "I'd like to think that you've been missing me so much you needed to hear my dulcet tones again already. But sadly, I imagine there's some other reason you rang. Is everything okay?"

"Hardly," Yokozawa snorted as stormy eyes re-surveyed his surroundings. "That's not why I called though."

"I need you to get into my laptop for me and e-mail a file to Henmi."

"Sure."

There were a few moments of quiet as presumably Kirishima pulled Yokozawa's laptop from his bag and powered it up. Kirishima's tone had become suddenly serious at the mention of work but it quickly became sly again. "I mean, it's the least I can do."

"Yes. It is."

Kirishima chuckled at his lover's cool reply. "I imagine you'd like to thrash my tail about now."

"In a manner of speaking… Yes."

Another chuckle escaped Kirishima. "Well, maybe I can arrange for that to happen… in a manner of speaking… My parents want to take Hiyo for the night."

Hearing this, despite all the aggravation he was enduring, Yokozawa felt a familiar heat rush through his core and his pulse accelerate. It had been some time since he'd topped Kirishima and the implied offer in his lover's words stirred him.

"Er… I have an appointment tonight," Yokozawa hoped he didn't sound as guilty as he felt.

"Oh? Business?" Kirishima was unable to keep the disappointment out of his voice but quickly recovered. "Sorry to pry.

"Well, look, we'll have the whole night, so I don't mind getting a late start if you don't. We can sleep in too, since Mom said they'd bring Hiyo back after lunch."

"Ummm… We'll see." Given the nature of his meeting Yokozawa wasn't sure how he felt about this.

"You know, I love it when you play hard to get."

Yokozawa snorted but otherwise refrained from rising to Kirishima's playful baiting. "Let me give you my password so you can get that file sent and get back to your own work." An uncomfortable pang twisted his stomach.

He had just gotten off the phone with Kirishima when Hiyori re-emerged from the dressing rooms again, this time wearing the green dress.

"How about this one?" Hiyori eyed him expectantly.

It was incredibly difficult for Yokozawa to keep his face blank: the green dress was worse than the pink one.

While the skirt extended farther down Hiyori's slim legs, it was fitted much more tightly. Rather than be one continuous pieces the blouse part of the garment was separate and a bit of Hiyori's smooth midriff peeked out. Even more distressing, however, was that the sleeveless top was just as tight as the skirt. The neck dipped down too and the cut of it gave the illusion of a swell to Hiyori's chest.

_As least I hope it's an illusion… Dear Kami-sami, Hiyori is only eleven! At what age does that stuff even start to happen?_

Yokozawa realized anew how little he really knew about the female sex.

_What are we… I mean, what is Kirishima going to do when those things really begin? _He cringed internally imagining Kirishima fumbling around his daughter's development the same way he did the kitchen. Not that he had any desire to take on that task.

He wondered if maybe something subtle could be said to Yuki's mother to garner her future assistance.

"Yuki's mom thought this one was super cute too." Hiyori's voice held a slightly pleading tone.

A frown creased Yokozawa's brow at the woman's questionable choices. _No, definitely not Yuki's mom then… Maybe Kirishima's mother? _

"You don't like this one either, Onii-chan?"

"Eh?"

Realizing Hiyori had seen his frown and thought it was reflected at her choice, Yokozawa smoothed out his expression but the fierce flash of protectiveness he'd felt at seeing the last dress had gripped him again. He knew all too well the way that men looked at young women. Though Hiyori was not even out of girlhood yet, such an outfit seemed designed to pave the way for that kind of thing.

Maybe he was just getting old, but to him the dress seemed more appropriate for a night club than a school festival.

_What kind of fashion is this, that would want to make a little girl appear so sordid?_

Suddenly Yokozawa felt convicted. While he'd never paid much attention to women or what they wore, he certainly had paid attention to the things other men said about them. More than once at a sales conference or in the company of colleagues he'd even added a comment or two of his own to fit in.

Considering this, two sudden terrible realizations hit Yokozawa.

The first was all the women he'd spoken coarsely of had been girls like Hiyori once.

The second was that, in those instances of poor talk, he really had been pretending any sort of interest in them. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time a woman actually sparked him in such a way.

_All this time I thought it was just Takano… but maybe… Maybe I really am just a homo…_

At this thought Yokozawa felt his cheeks suddenly flush while a hard knot cinched in his stomach.

"Onii-chan? Are you okay?"

Coming back to himself, Yokozawa's gaze cleared and he saw a pair of worried, warm brown eyes studying him. Fighting back the feelings that had suddenly steamrollered him, he tried his best to smile, though it formed itself as more of a grimace.

"I'm fine, Hiyori-chan." His mind raced frantically for something coherent to say in the midst of his tumultuous thoughts.

"I'm just rather worried that dress won't be warm enough." Yokozawa could tell as soon as he'd said this, that this time Hiyori was not going to accept his excuses so readily.

"But then you _do_ think it's cute, Onii-chan?"

"Er…" Yokozawa was at a loss. Finally he surrendered and looked at Hiyori earnestly.

"Hiyori, more than 'cute' I'd rather see you look pretty."

Hiyori's eyes grew wide at these words. "Y-you think I could look pretty, Onii-chan?"

The tentativeness in Hiyori's question made Yokozawa's heart ache in an unexpected way. Not wanting the little girl to see how she moved him, he frowned and gave a harsh snort.

"Of course! What kind of question is that? You're already pretty, Hiyori. What I'm saying is why muck it up with 'cute'?" After saying this Yokozawa tensed, unsure of the response his blunt words might provoke. However he was completely unprepared for what happened next.

He started when Hiyori's thin arms were suddenly around his neck, catching him in a tight hug.

"Thank you, Onii-san," Hiyori whispered into his ear before she released him and stepped back smiling at Yokozawa with shining eyes.

Yokozawa turned his head, uncomfortable with the warmth in Hiyori's gaze. "Yes… well…"

"Onii-chan, would you _please_ pick out a dress for me? Something pretty?"

_Me and my stupid mouth, always getting myself into trouble. _Yokozawa wished desperately that there was some way he could blame Kirishima for this, but he knew too well he'd created the particular part of the mess he was in at the moment.

With great reluctance he rose from his chair. He straightened his tie and moved solemnly into the racks. Mothers and daughters saw him approaching and stepped aside so that he could pass. Hiyori trailed behind him still wearing the green dress.

Gulping down the lump in his throat Yokozawa turned to Hiyori. "What size are you, Hiyori-chan?"

Once Hiyori chirped out her answer, the sales manager began sifting methodically through the racks. After a number of tense minutes, Yokozawa's eyes alighted on a dress and after a moment's more consideration, he pulled it out and offered it uncertainly for Hiyori's approval.

He was surprised by a wonderful smile as Hiyori studied the garment. "Oh, Onii-chan… that _is_ pretty!"

"I'm going to try it on right now!"

After taking the dress from him carefully, Hiyori headed off to the fitting rooms one more time.

Yokozawa slipped from amidst the rows and moved over to the chairs again but he didn't sit down. He worried that if he did he wouldn't be able to pry himself out of it again, should Hiyori decide she didn't like his selection and he had to go back out into the racks.

Fortunately it didn't take long before Hiyori reappeared. Gray eyes grew wide when Yokozawa saw Kirishima's little daughter.

The dress had a fitted bodice with quarter sleeves and a slightly flared skirt. Its fabric was the palest lavender with an intricate floral pattern of tiny green leaves and darker purple blossoms. A cropped, long-sleeved sweater of a fine knit in the same deep color as the blooms on the dress came with it.

The look was youthful, but refined and Hiyori was elegant in it. The color brought out the honeyed tones in her hair and made her eyes three shades darker.

Coming out of the dressing room Hiyori was beaming, but she burned even brighter seeing the expression on her Onii-chan's face. Still, she drew up closer and did a small circle. "What do you think, Onii-chan?"

Yokozawa felt a different kind of burning is his chest seeing Hiyori in this dress. He swallowed the new lump that had formed in his throat.

"Perfect." It was the only word that came to him.

The smile he received in response was dazzling.

"I take this one." Hiyori sounded very grown up as she turned to the rather wide-eyed sales woman standing behind her. Then with a graceful flounce, she turned and headed back to the dressing rooms.

Before following Hiyori the sales clerk turned back to Yokozawa and gave him a re-appraising gaze. "You know you really have an incredibly good eye."

As soon as the woman left, Yokozawa staggered over and sat down again in the chair, hard. He was exhausted and relieved that his ordeal was over, but more than that, the shop assistant's words had rocked him.

_A good eye? Oh Kami-sama, I really am a homo…_

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you all enjoyed this new chapter. You have been waiting so patiently and I thank you for that. I have been so appreciative of all your feedback and the follows and favorites. There's one more chapter of shopping torment for Yokozawa. Poor fellow. And then I'll be dipping into some drama and another Trifecta lemon.<strong>

**I as you to please forgive my exploitation of unfair stereotypes as a vehicle for humor in this fic. I do not mean to offend.**

**Thanks for reading and keep the reviews coming. I will do my best not to make you wait so long for the next installment.**


	9. Trouble

**Celebrations**

**Chapter Nine: "Trouble"**

* * *

><p>Yokozawa had never been so grateful to leave a store in his life. Outside <em>Girl Power<em>, the air of the mall's walkways felt about ten degrees cooler. At least, it did, until he suddenly realized something. A sudden urge to face-palm seized him.

_I gave Kirishima the password to my computer._

"Oh, hell." He couldn't believe that a store full of dresses had rattled him enough to do something so stupid.

"Is everything okay, Onii-chan?"

Hiyori had been walking quietly beside him, one thin arm happily swinging the bag that held her new dress. When Yokozawa realized she'd caught his low exclamation, the furrow in his brow at his terrible blunder dipped even deeper.

"Ah, no… I'm fine."

Even as he mumbled this, Yokozawa knew he was _sooo_ far from fine. Not that he had anything on his computer to hide from Kirishima, necessarily. But his lover was such a prankster; there was little likelihood Kirishima would be able to resist doing something disruptive to his laptop. Yokozawa's mind was suddenly seized with all the terrible photo possibilities Kirishima could upload as screensavers.

And this was just the start of the possibilities, since Zen was actually quite tech savvy.

"Are you sure you're okay? Do you want to sit down, Onii-chan?"

Yokozawa frowned at Hiyori's concern; he straightened himself and snorted dismissively.

_I'll face the repercussions of my stupidity later. Why ruin Hiyo's afternoon?_

"Say, Hiyori-chan, would you like to go look in there?" Hoping to divert her attention, he gestured with a nod to one of the mall's many toy stores.

Hiyori followed his gaze and her eyes widened at the shop's eye catching window displays. She hesitated, her expression suddenly conflicted. She didn't have to say a word for Yokozawa to figure out what caused this sudden tension. He could see Hiyori really wanted to go inside, but then they'd just left the dress shop where he'd made such a big speech about showing her papa how grown up she was.

"I'd like to go in," Yokozawa supplied, hoping to ease her discomfort. "Research purposes, you know. Some of these stores carry manga as well. And if they do, I should speak to them about carrying Marukawa's titles too. "

Hiyori saw through his ruse immediately, but rather than call him on it she gave him a silly grin. "Well, if it's for research…"

Yokozawa allowed just the edges of his mouth to curl upwards. Matter settled the two of them headed into the store.

As they moved through the aisles, Yokozawa was glad they'd gone in. Partly, because he hadn't gotten Hiyori a gift yet and was hoping for some clues as to what might please her. But also, watching Hiyori's wide-eyed wonder at all the toys made his heart swell: it was obvious that there was still quite a bit of little girl still in Kirishima's daughter and he cherished this.

Together they stopped beside a display that held of all manner of children's art supplies. There were even small easels designed the perfect height for youngsters. Yokozawa tipped his head to the side, noting the way Hiyori's slender fingers ran reverently over an open case of fine colored pencils.

"Do you like art, Hiyori-chan?"

Brown eyes flashed up at him, startled. A blush pinked Hiyori's smooth cheeks that she'd been so easily read.

"I do," she murmured softly, "especially drawing."

"Oh?" Yokozawa was surprised by this revelation. In all the time that he'd spent with the Kirishima's he'd never seen her express this particular interest.

"Why didn't I know this?"

The color bloomed brighter on Hiyori's sweet face. She dropped her eyes back down to the drawing kit. "Papa spends all day looking at people's drawings… Real artists…"

Hiyori raised her head again and Yokozawa immediately read both her desire not to trouble her father and her insecurity. It made his chest ache. He cleared his throat and stretched his own fingers out to touch the pencils. In the process, he allowed his large palm to settle over Hiyori's hand for the briefest of moments.

"Well, I don't look at drawings all day. I spend most of my time looking at numbers." Yokozawa kept a careful face as his eyes met Hiyori's. "I think that I might very much like to see some drawings."

He was taking a risk of his own here, unsure of how Hiyori might respond and of how he would feel if she dismissed him.

"Really?" The earnestness of Hiyori's expression was overwhelming.

"Hmmm," he nodded. "Especially if they were yours."

Yokozawa had cataloged quite a number of Hiyori's smiles over the last months, but he couldn't recall ever seeing one quite so beautiful. The little girl nodded herself before looking sharply away.

"Oh look, Onii-chan! Plushies!"

Knowing that a very special moment had passed between them, Yokozawa allowed Hiyori to divert them both now. She tugged lightly at his sleeve and he ambled over to a "special clearance" display of fuzzy stuffed creatures.

Hiyori reached into the pile and drew out a grumbly looking, shaggy, black bear. Its' fur had a slightly matted appearance and poked out every which way.

"Oh… he looks kind of like you, Onii-chan!" she giggled pushing the stuffed toy towards him.

Yokozawa took the bear from her with a scowl. He was surprised at how soft the fur was despite its bedraggled appearance.

"That doesn't look at all like me."

_Does it?_

His growled response only made Hiyori laugh harder. It didn't help that the bear's frowning face all but mirrored his own consternation.

Hiyori was still giggling when her cell phone rang. "Oh, it's Papa!"

Yokozawa stepped a few feet away to give Hiyori and her father some privacy. Besides, given his anxiety about what Kirishima might have done to his computer, he really didn't want to find himself put on the phone with Zen right now.

His gaze still focused on his supposed plushie doppelganger, he could hear Hiyori telling Kirishima about their shopping adventure and where they were presently at in the mall.

"Oi, Darkhorse! What in the world are you doing here?"

Gray eyes looked up and Yokozawa was stunned to see Aikawa Eri moving down the aisle towards him. The editor was one of the first (and few) friends he'd made at Marukawa.

Her hail was hearty and held the fraternal roughness that Yokozawa had always appreciated in their relationship. Aikawa herself, however, was dressed to the nines. Her polished appearance more than a bit out of place in the toy store. Despite himself, Yokozawa felt his cheeks grow hot, caught in a toy shop, holding a stuffed bear.

_It could have been worse, I suppose. She could have seen me in "Girl Power_."

He repressed a shudder at the thought and greeted her. "I could ask you the same, Aikawa-san,"

Sighing as she drew up alongside him, Aikawa rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"My author, Usami-sensei, has a book signing here today and he's locked himself away in the bookstore's restroom and refuses to leave it. His 'personal assistant,' Misaki is on his way, but in the meantime, I thought I might find something here I could bribe him with to make him come out."

Since, in the past, he and Aikawa had often gone out drinking together, Yokozawa had heard quite a bit about this particular author of hers over the years and all his strange quirks . It had made him thankful many times that his sales position, by nature, minimized his need to interact with authors and artists. From the stories he'd gathered from Marukawa's many editors, it seemed obvious to him that almost all creative people were mentally unbalanced.

Considering this, Yokozawa's mind went immediately back to his recent discovery of Hiyori's interest in art and her temperament.

_Hiyo generally seems so reasonable. _

He determined to keep a closer eye on her in the future in the hopes that, if she was truly inclined to art, he could be a stabilizing presence.

"Are you still going to be able to meet with me tonight, Yokozawa?"

Snapped back to the present by the question, Yokozawa nodded in affirmation. "I have the time set aside… but."

"But?" Aikawa echoed.

Yokozawa's mind flashed back to Kirishima's request that they spend an uninterrupted evening together. He was about to beg off, but the anxiousness in Aikawa's expression and his pre-emptive annoyance at Kirishima's sure computer shenanigans kept him from doing so.

"Nothing… It's fine."

One of Aikawa's sculpted brows rose in question, but she didn't press further. "Good. I'm so glad. I thought you might cancel on me there for a minute. And after dealing with Usami-sensei all afternoon, I could use some respite."

"No, no. I'll be there," Yokozawa assured.

"Oh! That's a cute fellow! May I see him?"

Yokozawa realized Aikawa had just noticed the bear in his hands. He offered it to her without hesitation, watching as she smoothed over its ruffled fur with her polished fingertips.

"He's such a grumpy guy." A mischievous smile curled the corners of Aikawa's mouth. "You know, Yokozawa, this bear actually looks quite a bit like you." She laughed seeing the way her colleague's face darkened.

"Excuse me, please, but that's _my_ bear."

Yokozawa looked down and saw that Hiyori had obviously finished her phone call and moved in beside him. He was surprised by her interruption; usually the youngest Kirishima was so very polite. Even more so, however, he was startled by how fierce Hiyori's usually sweet face appeared.

"Ah, Aikawa-san, I don't know if you've met Kirishima's daughter Hiyori. He was caught at work today, so I offered to spend some time with Hiyori-chan, here."

Yokozawa rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. Aikawa knew he was seeing someone now and suspected she knew who it was. However, being seen out with Hiyori was sure to confirm her suspicions.

He frowned when Hiyori did not extend Aikawa a proper greeting.

Aikawa's eyed widened as, instead, the little girl at the Dark Horse's side held out one of her hands for the bear. The editor's auburn head tipped to the side and an understanding smile caught Aikawa's lips, watching Hiyori's other hand reach over and lightly clasp the cuff of Yokozawa's shirtsleeve.

"Please excuse me," Aikawa smiled sweetly as she passed the bear to Hiyori. "I didn't realize he was taken."

"Well, he is!"

Hiyori's face was stern as she said this. As soon as the bear was in her hand, she pulled it tightly to her chest. It didn't slip Aikawa's keen eyes that the little girl's grasp on Yokozawa's sleeve tightened simultaneously.

"Hiyori."

Yokozawa's voice wasn't sharp but his tone revealed he was far from happy with how she was behaving. However, Aikawa laughed and dismissed the outburst with a wave of her hand.

"It's okay, Yokozawa. I'm used to it. My author's not the best at sharing things either, and Usami-sensei has about a thousand bears already. I'm sure I can find something else to entice him."

"Speaking of which," Aikawa glanced down at the thin gold watch on her wrist. "I'd better get moving. I don't want his fans to have to wait."

"It was nice to meet you, Hiyori-chan." Shifting her gaze back over to Yokozawa, Aikawa dipped her head, "And I'll see you later."

Yokozawa nodded and offered a gruff assent. His gray eyes flashed back down at Hiyori. The birthday girl looked far from happy, but she gathered herself enough to offer Aikawa a proper goodbye before the editor slipped away down another aisle.

_What just happened here?_

Yokozawa was flummoxed. He kept his gaze on Hiyori, who, in turn, now kept her eyes on the floor.

"Did you really want that bear so much, Hiyori, that you felt the need to be rude?"

Yokozawa kept his tone careful as he said this. However, he so seldom had to get after Hiyori, her shoulders slumped as though she'd just been severely scolded.

"I still have some money left over from my dress," she whispered. "And Aikawa-san said her author has lots of bears, so that means I'm not too old now to still want a toy."

"That's not the point, Hiyo…" Yokozawa felt his frustration growing as he struggled to understand what had gotten into Kirishima's normally wonderful daughter.

Without looking up at him, Hiyori released the cuff of his sleeve. Her small fingers made an attempt to smooth out the wrinkles caused by her clasp. When her hand finally dropped away it shifted to join her other one, pressing the stuffed bear tight to her chest.

"He belongs with me." Hiyori offered this softly, at last, as though it explained everything; then she lifted her dark eyes.

"I'm sorry, Onni-chan. I didn't mean to be rude to your friend. It won't happen again."

Yokozawa couldn't be gruff with Hiyori for long, not when she seemed so contrite. "Good, Hiyori. You know Aikawa-san works with your father too. You wouldn't want to reflect badly on him."

"Oh, no, Onii-chan.! I want both you and Papa to be proud of me."

Few things were more upsetting to Yokozawa than a crying female and the sudden shine in Hiyori's eyes terrified him. He was stunned that such a simple rebuke would be enough to bring her to the edge of tears.

"We are, Hiyori. Don't be silly now."

_Was I really too harsh? Maybe it's just all the stress of shopping?_ At this point Yokozawa knew he felt quite wrung out himself.

"Go pay for your bear and let's go home."

Hiyori nodded in quick agreement. With a light sniffle she headed off to the register.

As they left the toy store, Yokozawa wondered if he should spring for a taxi rather than he and Hiyori take the train home. Hiyori was still acting subdued and it worried him. He had taken the bag with her dress from her to carry. Meanwhile, Hiyori was still holding her new bear: she hadn't wanted the clerk to put it in a bag.

"Do you know what you're going to call it yet?" Yokozawa asked, hoping that some small talk would lighten Hiyori's mood.

_Personally, I think it should be "Trouble" for all the turmoil it's caused._

Hiyori bit her full bottom lip and shook her head lightly. "He hasn't told me yet. It might be a secret."

"What's all this about secrets, now?"

Both Hiyori and Yokozawa turned towards the voice that had called this out behind them.

"Papa!"

Hiyori immediately lost any appearance of distress, in fact, she looked quite relieved. Yokozawa on the other hand was both annoyed and slightly curious by his lover's unexpected appearance.

"What are you doing here?"

Kirishima pulled out one of his endless bright smiles. "I finished things early and headed over. I thought it might be nice if we all traveled home together."

Yokozawa's brow furrowed. "I thought you were swamped?"

He realized that to find them so quickly, Kirishima must have already been in the mall when he'd called Hiyori. In fact, if he wasn't mistaken, it seemed Kirishima must have rushed to meet them: the man was breathing more heavily than usual and his color was slightly hectic.

"I can work from home on a few things." Kirishima admitted. "But I thought you might need this again too, before long."

Kirishima held out Yokozawa's work case with his laptop in it. Reaching for his bag Yokozawa eyed it as though it might suddenly bite him.

"Did you send that file to Henmi?" he asked as he took it.

"I did. Just as soon as we got off the phone."

Yokozawa stared hard at his lover. "And that was it? You didn't do anything else with my computer by chance?"

"No, of course not! That would be unprofessional!" Kirishima's tone sounded playfully wounded, but his cheeks pinked a bit.

_So is showing cellphone pictures of me in an apron around the office, but that didn't stop you before._

"Hmmm…" Yokozawa didn't trust Kirishima's words entirely: something about his lover seemed slightly off. He didn't want to push the issue in front of Hiyori, however, so instead, he began walking. Kirishima and Hiyori immediately fell in step alongside him.

"I'm glad your hunt for a new dress was successful, Hiyori." It was obvious Kirishima was trying to change the topic.

Since her papa's arrival Hiyori's demeanor had brightened considerably. "Oh, yes! Like I said on the phone, Onii-chan helped me pick it out. It's really pretty."

"Well, you'll have to model it for me when we get home then." Kirishima gave Hiyori a grin. "And did your Onii-chan help you pick out your new friend there as well?" He nodded to the bear in his daughter's arms.

Hiyori's good humor dipped for the briefest of moments as she was reminded of her antics in the store. She dropped her eyes and a flush filled her cheeks, wondering if her Onii-chan would tell her father about how she'd behaved.

"No, Hiyori picked that out herself."

Dark eyes shot up to meet Yokozawa's and Hiyori gave him a grateful smile.

"Would you like to see him, Papa?"

For the first time since she'd gotten the bear back from Aikawa, she seemed willing to relinquish it. Kirishima took the plushie from her carefully and studied its' solemn features. "You know, Takafumi, this little guy kind of looks like…"

"Don't say it!" Yokozawa growled low in his throat, "I look nothing like that damn bear."

"Of course not." Kirishima assured. He shot Hiyori a wink. "I was just going to say he looks like he could use a good brushing."

Kirishima gave Hiyori back her bear and draped a long arm over Yokozawa's shoulders. He leaned in and whispered in his lover's ear.

"Besides, your much sterner looking and oh, so much cuter."

It was in that instant that Yokozawa vowed never to take Hiyori shopping again.

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading!<strong>

**I know it has been far too long since I updated this. I hope some of you are still with me on this piece. ****For those of you who have left reviews over the months, offering feedback and encouragement, you have my sincere thanks. It is what keeps me wanting to finish these stories.**

**Things have recently smoothed out for me in my life, so I am hoping to get back to writing more again. Fingers crossed.**

**Also, if you're interested, over the summer I will be moving all my stories over to Archive Of Our Own. So you'll be able to read them there as well. All Don't Preach's, Cerberus Revised's, and Daniel Lazerus works will be under DanielLazerus there.**


	10. Outings

**Celebrations Chapter Ten**

**Outings**

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><p>Sport coat draped over one arm, Yokozawa slipped out of his bedroom and into the hall to head to the bathroom. On the way, he peeked into the living room. Kirishima sat on the edge of the couch, deep in quiet conversation with Hiyori.<p>

Hiyori's overnight bag sat on the ground at her feet. She held her new bear clasped to her chest with one arm. The hand of her other was making nervous twists with a strand of her hair. Yokozawa watched Kirishima reach out and gently pull Hiyori's twirling fingers into his own. His voice was low, but even so, Yokozawa could hear the soothing tones of it.

He turned away from the tender scene, uneasy.

_It's not like Hiyori to be anxious about going to her grandparents._

Pushing into the bathroom, he turned on the light. This was just one more troubling development in his day: after the light teasing when Kirishima had first joined him and Hiyori at the mall, on the way home, both father and daughter had fallen into strangely serious moods.

Standing before the mirror over the sink, Yokozawa rubbed his hand over his jaw, and tilted his head, making sure that mirror agreed with his fingers once again and that he didn't need to shave. He scowled at his reflection. Seeing the frown that met him in the mirror only deepened it.

While it had never particularly bothered him before, what he was about to do tonight, for the first time, left his stomach in an uncomfortable knot. The dress shirt and tie he wore suddenly felt unbearably constricting. Long fingers loosened the tie and then ran through his thick hair, tousling it into some semblance of order.

_It's not as if I'm doing anything wrong, really._

His reflection cocked a dark brow at him, challenging otherwise. _Oh? Then why are you feeling so conflicted. _

Yokozawa dropped his gaze with a sigh. He turned away from the mirror and made his way back to the door.

Last night and for most of today he'd wanted to run away from Kirishima and all the man stirred in him. Now, he wished both he and Hiyori were staying tonight. He wanted nothing more than to remain here, tucked into the evening with his…

_Family…? _

The word scorched his mind and he dropped it instantly.

Just as Yokozawa's hand gripped the doorknob, his ears caught the muffled sounds of Kirishima greeting his parents. Heat filled his cheeks at how foolishly he'd just been thinking.

_Now, that's family… Real family. Not this strange thing I'm doing here with Zen and his daughter._

Yokozawa closed his eyes against the tightness that suddenly gripped his chest. He pressed his forehead to the smooth wood and allowed it to rest there while he waited for Kirishima's mother and father to leave with their granddaughter.

He started when a light tap sounded on the other side of the door.

"Onii-chan…?" Hiyori's voice was soft and unusually hesitant.

Yokozawa pulled away and stepped a few feet back before indicating he'd heard her. "Ummm."

"I'm so sorry to disturb you. I know that you're getting ready to go out…" Embarrassment weighted Hiyori's words. "But I wanted to say goodbye before I left with Grandma and Grandpa."

The ache in Yokozawa's heart increased. He was seized with the urge to open the door, to go out, and give Hiyori a proper goodbye, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he remained silent.

"Night, Onii-chan," Hiyori sighed at last, hearing her grandmother call out to her. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Yokozawa silently cursed himself as he listened to the patter of dainty feet scamper away down the hall.

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later he emerged into the front room.<p>

Yokozawa shrugged into his coat before bending slightly to sweep a hand across the front of his trousers, worried that he'd already managed to wrinkle them in the minutes he'd spent sitting on the closed lid of the toilet, hiding.

"You're looking very dapper tonight."

Gray eyes shifted over to where Kirishima had resumed his position on the sofa. The editor was dressed for a night at home, wearing a pair of grey, cotton sleep pants and a white t-shirt that hugged the tight contours of his torso.

Yokozawa replied with a dismissive snort.

"No, really, Yokozawa. Formal business meeting, is it?"

A furrow creased Yokozawa's brow at the question. He studied Kirishima a moment, but both the tone of his lover's voice and his expression were light. "Something like that." He stepped into the kitchen and Kirishima rose from the couch and followed.

"My parents said to tell you 'hello.' They were sorry not to see you tonight."

Yokozawa stopped in his trek to the stove. It still amazed him how easily Zen's parents had accepted him after their first awkward introduction.

"_This is Yokoza; please consider him part of my family. He's living with Hiyo and me now. "_

"Yes, well, I was getting ready to go. I'll try to be here when they bring Hiyori back tomorrow to properly greet them."

A curious expression flitted over Kirishima's face when he said this, but it disappeared too quickly for Yokozawa to decipher it. Deciding it was likely nothing, he stepped over to the range. "Your dinner's in there. Are you going to eat right away? Or should I leave the oven on low?"

Kirishima leaned against the counter. "I'm not really hungry, but are you sure you want to leave me alone with the oven on?"

"Good point." Yokozawa snorted and reached over to turn the knob to off. Feeling oddly uncomfortable, he turned to the side rather than meet Kirishima's gaze. His eyes fell on Sorata's food bowl, sitting still three quarters full. "Looks like you're not the only one who isn't hungry tonight."

It wasn't like Sorata to not finish a meal. "Have you seen Sora-chan by the way?"

Yokozawa lifted his eyes at last only to find Kirishima staring at him intently. Kirishima offered a light shrug and a smile.

"He wasn't too happy to see Hiyori's overnight bag come out. Last I saw, he was sulking on her bed." He moved over and wrapped lean arms around Yokozawa from behind. "I thought once you left, I might go join him."

"You miss Hiyori that much already?"

The arms that had been loosely circling Yokozawa's waist slipped away. Kirishima stepped over to the fridge and cracked the door. "You're so oblivious sometimes, Takafumi." He peered inside a moment before withdrawing a beer. "I was talking about missing _you_."

With a light huff of exasperation, Kirishima closed the fridge door and made his way out into the living room. He plopped himself back down on the couch and picked the remote up off the low coffee table.

Cheeks heating at his lover's irked confession, Yokozawa followed him out. He stood next to the couch, arms crossed over his chest looking down on Kirishima with disapproval.

"Sulking doesn't become you any more than it does Sorata."

Kirishima pulled his eyes away from the newly flickering flat screen and gave Yokozawa a wink. "No, but it did get you to linger."

Yokozawa glanced over at the clock and grimaced. "Damn you!"

He was going to be late now and that wasn't going to be helpful at all. He started over to the door grumbling to himself as Kirishima chuckled lowly behind him. He'd just about reached the entry when Kirishima called out.

"Ah, Takafumi, don't forget your case."

The words made Yokozawa stiffen. Of course he didn't need his workbag, but he'd told Zen it was business and it would look strange if he didn't take it. He growled and strode over to where it sat next to his laptop on the dining table. He'd gotten into his computer right away once they'd gotten home to ensure Kirishima had been truthful about not messing with anything and found that seemed to be true.

_So far, anyways._

Yokozawa grabbed his case, and began making his way back to the front door. "Thanks," he grumbled, his insides twisting now at his increased deception.

He was surprised just shy of the entry by a large hand on his shoulder.

Dizzied, as he was spun around, Yokozawa began to protest, but this was cut off by the hot mouth crashing against his own. The fingers not holding the handle of his case pressed against Kirishima's chest, trying to push him off. But Kirishima's hand on his shoulder slipped to the back of his neck, holding him tightly and Kirishima's lips were adamant.

He was breathless by the time his lover released him. But not before Kirishima leaned in and whispered into his ear. "I hope your meeting doesn't go too long Takafumi. Regardless, know I'll be waiting here to welcome you home."

This breathy growl left Yokozawa without any words of his own. Heat flooded his whole body and a heavy pulse of want throbbed his cock. But then just as suddenly as he'd been kissed, he felt himself turned roughly back around and, before he knew it, a firm hand on his low back had ushered him out.

The door to the apartment clicked softly shut behind him.

It had been a long time since Yokozawa had felt so dislocated.

_What the hell is going on here?_

* * *

><p>Once Yokozawa was out the door, Kirishima turned around and leaned back against it. His own breathing was slightly ragged. He waited there until he was sure Yokozawa had headed off down the hall before returning to the couch.<p>

After running a hand through his shaggy bangs, he sat down. He opened his beer and picked up the remote, channel surfing for a number of minutes as he sipped at his drink. Not too long had passed, however, before Kirishima set his beer down and clicked off the TV.

His eyes shifted over to where Yokozawa's computer still sat on the kitchen table.

When Yokozawa had given him his password, he'd fully intended to use the opportunity for some pranking. Nothing malicious, just some fun. After all, when was an opportunity to mess with his lover like that going to present itself again?

Opening Yokozawa's e-mail, however, to first send Henmi the needed file had brought all Kirishima's possible mischief to an abrupt halt. He hadn't intended to snoop, but at the top of Yokozawa's inbox was a boldfaced subject line from the BL editor, Aikawa Eri.

Kirishima knew Yokozawa and Aikawa had been friendly in the past, but from what he'd heard, they had always been more drinking buddies than anything romantic. At least that was what he'd thought until he saw the headline:

_**Reminder: My Parents Tonight and Apartment Viewing**_

Though he hated himself for doing it, Kirishima hadn't been able to resist clicking on the message. All the air had been sucked from his lungs when he read the correspondence. Aikawa had listed the name of a restaurant where she'd made a reservation for her and Yokozawa to dine with her parents. There was also a note confirming an appointment with a realtor to see a new apartment with Yokozawa, set a week from the coming Monday.

While he'd known that Yokozawa was still settling in with him and Hiyori, he'd thought for the most part that the younger man had been happy. Seeing Aikawa's e-mail, however, he'd realized that perhaps he'd been gravely wrong in his assumption.

Kirishima folded his long-fingered hands together and steepled them under his chin. Yokozawa's depth of commitment was one of the things that had attracted himin the first place and so he had a hard time believing that the man that he loved would step out on him. But if this was the case, he wondered, then why hadn't Yokozawa been forthcoming about his outing that evening? And while he had held back from asking outright, he had also left Yokozawa with several opportunities for disclosure.

Rising from the couch, Kirishima headed back to his bedroom. He had the address of the restaurant memorized.

He had thought he could play it cool, sit back, and wait to see what happened, but now he knew that this was impossible.

In his room he slipped out of his sleep pants and into jeans before pulling a fresh shirt from his closet. As he dressed, Kirishima realized he'd carried out his own deception that evening.

He wasn't about to just sit around waiting; he had to go see for himself what it was he was truly up against.

* * *

><p><strong>Ah, beautiful drama. That's what you get for snooping Kirishima. <strong>

**Thanks everyone for the comments, they make my day! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks for reading.**


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